REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL UNDERTAKEN TO
INDIA
19 – 25 AUGUST 2012
1. INTRODUCTION
The aim of the report is to give an overview of the strategic objectives attained
during our visit to India.
2. PURPOSE OF THE VISIT
The purpose for the official visit by the SASSA delegation was to improve South
Africa's grant system and to consider alternative areas of transfer as follows:
•
To draw on international experience and comparative best practices with a
view to learning and making recommendations on improving existing services
and influencing the design and development of a new payment system;
•
To share experiences from
management perspective;
•
To initiate ongoing benchmarking from the Australian and Indian experiences;
•
To empower SASSA in key areas such as provision of social assistance,
service delivery and alternate forms of transfers and social assistance
schemes;
•
To provide SASSA with an opportunity to showcase its achievements and
challenges as part of a South learning initiative.

To establish partnerships with key institutions providing social security.
an
administration,
implementation
and
3. DELEGATION
Ms Bathabile Dlamini: Minister of Social Development
Mr Ceceko Pakade: Chief Financial Officer DSD
Ms Virginia Petersen: Chief Executive Officer SASSA
Mr Wiseman Magasela: Deputy Director General – Policy Development DSD
Mr Brenton van Vrede: Chief Director – Social Security DSD
Ms Raphaahle Ramokgopa: Executive Manager: Strategy and Business
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Development SASSA
Ms Lumka Oliphant: Chief Director: Communications DSD
Mr Frank Earl: Acting Executive Manager: Grants Administration SASSA
Ms Mayibuye Mbata: Personal Assistant to the Minister DSD
Mr Johnny Mpeko : Personal Aid to the Minister
Ms Innocentia Makhanya: Deputy Director of International Relations SASSA
Ms Naziema Rasool - Manager: Stakeholder and Intergovernmental Relations
SASSA
4. ENGAGEMENTS WITH COUNTERPARTS:
A.
INDIA
4.1.1 Background to Institutions visited
•
National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) and the South Asian
Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC)
Met with Dr Satendra, Executive Director and the management team of
the NIDM. Also present were the Director, Dr O P Mishra and
Executive Members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Both institutions provided a presentation on their
roles and functions with regards to disasters on a national level.
•
Met with the Head and Management of the Department of Women and
Children who gave an overview of their role in administering grants for
widows and the elderly.
•
Met with the management and staff of the Gurgaon Haryana
Employment Project. They fall under the National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act (NREGA). This site visit was arranged by the Minister of
Food and Civil Supplies who administers programmes which include
grain supplied by the Food Corporation.
•
Met with Dr Ranjana Kumari, Director for the Centre for Social
Research, and President for the Women Power Connect, and the
management members and volunteers of both NGOs. They are active
on issues regarding the status of women in the Indian society and
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issues relating to women’s health. Also lobbying to change some
legislation giving women more rights.
Minister had additional engagements with:
The Minister of Women and Child, MRS. KRISHNA TIRATH
The Minister of Rural Development, MR. JAIRAM RAMESH
The Minister of Food and Civil Supplies, PROF. K.V. THOMAS
4.1.2 Key Lessons Learnt
A practical view of the Indian social assistance schemes would assist SASSA
and the Department of Social Development in considering social assistance
strategies to address poverty alleviation, alternate forms of social assistance
and cash transfers, and the establishment of a broader more comprehensive
social protection network.
India’s Social Assistance Programme:
•
India does not have a universal social assistance programme like
South Africa, but has a number of national and state social assistance
schemes aimed at alleviating chronic poverty through regular cash
transfers which are separate from the formal social security services
covering employees in the organised formal sector.
•
Important social security, poverty alleviation and social welfare
measures are being implemented by various ministries, along with
federal and individual state departments and civil society.
•
One of the most significant initiatives is the National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act (NREGA) that provides for 100 days of employment of
all households in rural areas to individuals willing to do unskilled
manual work, if demanded within a five kilometre radius.
•
The application of NREGA and its applicability to SA can also not be
ignored when one considers its impact in providing a “second round” of
benefits to beneficiaries and their dependents. The manual work needs
to create sustainable assets that promote the economic and
infrastructure development of villages. A failure to provide work gives
the applicant a right to draw an unemployment allowance. Recipients
can choose from 4 ways to receive payment: post office savings
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account, bank account, village officials and in some states electronic
prepaid account accessed via smartcards issued by 2 technology firms.
•
The aim is to offer social protection while also creating productive
assets that help transit towards self-reliance.
•
More than 45 million people received a payment under NREGA in
2008.
•
NREGA uses web-based MIS and all the data is in public domain.
Integrated Child Development Programme
According to the department it is 4,5 billion rupees scheme which is a
supplementary cover .
The program is integrated where there is protection for mother and child and
an estimated 38 million children are in the care or in the program. There is
also a 1.4 million habitation level.
Initially there were 5000 centres where there was interaction with children and
young women and this was scaled up to 1,4 million over a period to date.
There is about 2 workers attached to each centre with an estimated workforce
of about 2,7 million workers which includes a project officer, cluster
supervisors in about 643 districts and about 14 000 sub centres .
Nutrition in villages
The information is collated at project and district level of which 25 days are
nutritional days on an average of 16 days per month.
Challenges and successes of the program





Diversity remains a major challenge
From 1975 to 2005 45% of the target was achieved in 30 years i.e.
about 1,3 million people
The target was people who were suffering undue hardship, however
over the years the program is universalised.
Immunisation is the last outreach program
Cost per child is estimated at about 2000 rupees.
Other programmes launched include:


Meal program for children between the ages of 6- 14 years
Conditional grants paid for certain benefits
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Challenges of this program


Data is out-dated
No details of studies done
Successes


India is progressing on the development of children.
Other forms of Social security include:
1. Pension for older persons at 300rupees per month and widows pension for
which women between ages 40 and 60 qualify.
2. Disability benefits are paid to persons qualifying between ages of 18 – 51
Other non-conditional programmes include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Support for marginalised communities
Scholarships for disadvantaged children
Education is free for all children
Children of tribal authority are looked after by the state
Protection for mother and child, issued with the cooperation of the Indian
government.
6. Under education and maternity benefit
Ministry Rural Development
We were welcomed by the ministry and a brief overview of the program was outlined
which included the disability benefit program.
Minister Bathabile Dlamini thanked the ministry and requested Mr Earl to give an
overview of the South Africa Social Assistance program and our Acting DG also
gave an overview of the department. A presentation was done on the work program
and session concluded with a Question and Answer session, followed by a site visit
in Gurgaon located in a rural areas.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NEGRA) is a
flagship programme of the Indian government that directly touches the lives of the
poor and promotes inclusive growth. The Act aims at enhancing livelihood security of
households in rural areas of the country by providing at least one hundred days of
guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult
members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
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The objective of the Act also sought to create durable assets and strengthen the
livelihood resource base of the rural poor. The choice of works suggested in the Act
addresses causes of chronic poverty like drought, deforestation, soil erosion, so that
the process of employment generation is on sustainable basis.
The Act came into force on February 2006 and was implemented in a phased
manner. In Phase I it was introduced in 200 of the most backward districts of the
country. It was then implemented in an additional 130 districts in Phase II between
2007 and 2008. The Act was notified in the remaining rural districts of India from 1 st
April 2008 in Phase III.
Ministry of Food Corporation and Civil Supplies
The South African delegation led by Minister B Dlamini met with the Indian Minister,
Prof. K.V. Thomas and representatives of her Department. They did a presentation
on the overview on the following strategic areas:

Indian effort towards zero hunger – background and policies.
The discussion centred on issues of challenges and opportunities;
public policies in place and institutions involved.

Understanding Food Security – how they try to achieve the ideal.
Defining the definition: Food Security refers to a situation that exists
when all people at all times, have physical, social and economic
access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets the dietary
needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. The focus
and efforts towards the ideal is identified through the following:
- Availability through increased production;
- Accessibility through transportation and subsidy; and
- Absorption through targeted distribution.

Operational highlights – the role of the Food Corporation of India.
India manages the world’s largest system of food grains procurement,
storage, transportation and distribution. Nodal Agencies and
Departments such as the Food Corporation of India and the
Department of Food and Civil Supplies of all provincial governments
and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution,
Government of India, all play a pivotal role in the operations.
A discussion followed on the Food Corporation of India’s mandate, its organisational
structure, its operations and its procurement system.
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In conclusion
The fact finding mission to India was very fruitful in terms of lessons learnt. The SA
delegation was most impressed with the presentations that were presented by the
counterparts and exceeded our expectations.
Find attached the report and presentation for your perusal.
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