Evaluating National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in India: A Dynamic Rural Survey Method Using Mobile Phones

Abstract

National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is a scheme formulated by the Government of India for the uplifting of the poorest of the poor in rural India. It has been implemented in all the states of India. The effectiveness of any scheme, especially one aimed at rural empowerment, can be measured only by studying the impact it has made in changing the lives of the beneficiaries. RTBI had evaluated the impact of NREGA in Tamilnadu by conducting a study. For this study, RTBI used a mobile phone based data gathering system instead of the regular paper based process. This paper will discuss how the questionnaire was developed, the data gathering method and the use of mobile phones as a reliable tool for conducting surveys.