This web-based ICT tool with local language interface enables the rural wage seeker at the bottom most layer of pyramid to access entitlements of NREGS by handling registration, work estimates, musters and wage payments to enable equal, correct and timely payments directly into the accounts of the wage seekers, thereby enhancing the livelihood security of 18.5 million underserved poor in 65,000 villages spreading over 275,000 sq Kms and preventing the malaise of discrimination, unequal wages among men and women, delayed and less-than-entitled payment while ensuring sustainable development of degraded lands even in remote areas leading to enhanced rural prosperity

• Put the wage seeker at the centre of operations
• Minimize leakages, expedite payments, maintain measurement cycle strictly to ensure timely and correct payments
• Provide system driven accountability
• Ensure open access to information to all stakeholders and citizens
• Enable transaction based reliable, timely and comparable information from the ground-up”.
• Track every rupee spent on the schem
• Provide an effective platform for citizen-centric delivery of government services in general and financial services in particular and to reach out to all the un-served populace including those who do not have any skills; with emphasis on disabled, single women and socially disadvantaged. It aims to demystify work estimates, reduce drudgery of paper work, make work available on demand by maintaining a shelf of works and monitor the works through measurement books and muster rolls. It also aims at funds management by tracking wage payments, material payments and administrative costs. It facilitates social audit and right to information. It is a robust web based monitoring and review tool. .

RAGAS is a powerful tool in the hands of the stakeholders who can browse information about entire gamut of activities under NREGS. It has helped in addressing a lot of issues, thereby leading to the NREGS, AP initiative, with its holistic, service centric and outcome-oriented approach, is a significant milestone in the e-government initiatives of AP. The merits are listed below:

Increasing accountability. Details of personnel and officials involved in implementation at each stage are being logged into the system increasing the accountability. One of the ways in which accountability has also been built into the solution — from the point a rural household approaches its Gram Panchayat for a job to the point of payment for the job done — is to track cash flow. At least one critical transaction at every stage passes through computers making it difficult (but not impossible) to steal from the poor. 

 Eliminating the lacunae which are observed in manual systems - Inflated schemes, Bogus registration,Inflated muster,Fraudulent requisition of funds, Fraudulent wage payment,Lack of transparency.

 Minimizing fraud. RAGAS has effectively blocked all the possible leakages thereby reducing fraud to a great extent. The system demonstrated that the 15,16,51.28 lakhs INR spent as on January 2008 has really reached the deserving wage seekers, without any leakage. By making available the Standard Schedule of Rates for each locality available online, there is no possibility for excess sanction of amounts and subsequent recoveries at a much later date. 

Minimizing effort and administrative costs. A cumbersome process of preparing estimates has been simplified duly saving several person months of unproductive time which otherwise the field officials would have had to spend. This solution enabled the state to reduce the overall administrative cost, which otherwise would have cost many-fold.

 Enabling accurate and faster wage payments. The payment cycle has been significantly reduced to less than 15 days. Payments to wage seekers are being made entirely through agencies like banks and post offices ensuring that the right amount reaches the worker.

Enabling Change Management of policies, rates and so on. Changes in policies, work estimation standards, payment rates during the course of implementation of the scheme based on ground realities could quickly be adapted.

Enabling Program Monitoring. The program is being closely and effectively monitored using RAGAS. Fulfillment of 100 days guarantee for every household can be monitored. Every work and every rupee spent on EGS can be tracked. All the MIS reports required by the district, state and central administration are readily available, reducing the effort of preparation of such reports and increasing the accuracy of data.

Facilitating Social Audit. Another unique feature is that all the information is available on internet, both in English and Telugu, the local language of Andhra Pradesh. Both government officials and public can access the social audit reports. By making data available for public scrutiny, the website (nrega.ap.gov.in)  facilitates social auditing of the NREGS implementation, under the Right to Information Act.

Enabling Easy tracking of all the processes of EGS to ensure that the entitlements like equal wages, work site facilities, timely wages and so on reach the citizen.

Enabling an Effective Decision Support System to avoid slippages in implementation.

This is the first time in the country that a rural development programme is using an IT solution so comprehensively. Implementation of this system has enabled employment of a large number of rural youth as computer operators, instilled a sense of accountability in the administration and instilled confidence amongst the rural poor in demanding due entitlements.

o                      As this project is computerising the processes in the Government of India Act (NREGA), it is common to all the states in India. With a local language interface and very little customization this project can be used anywhere in India or abroad. In fact, observing the impact of this project, the software is extended to other Rural Development Programmes in Andhra Pradesh like Watersheds and Comprehensive Land Development (CLDP) programmes. RAGAS  deals with land related works, estimates and payments it can be used by any organization small or big dealing with such activities.

• All business processes have been engineered in such a way that delivery of every service is through the software and is based on actual transaction.   
• The use of technology begins at the stage of registration of all wage seekers. The Panchayat secretary verifies the applications of wage seekers and enters the details in a Register maintained at the Gram Panchayat. The information about the wage seeker is entered into the computer placed at Mandal Level and the front page of the Job Card is printed with the unique ID and details of the household. The photo is captured from the database of the Civil Supplies Department’s biometric (IRIS) ration cards. The wage seekers’ post office/bank account numbers are also captured. So the registration is completed without any delay and the entire information of the wage seeker is available for any future use.
•      JOB CARD
• The next major service is to open works to enable the wage seeker to earn his wages. Using RAGAS, the time taken to generate work estimates has been reduced from 15 to 20 days of cumbersome procedure to a few minutes. Since the estimates are system generated and based on accurate ormulae, the technical sanctions are provided quickly. The sanctioning limits to Assistant Engineer/ Deputy Executive Engineer have been enhanced for quick sanctions and sufficient works are kept ready to meet the demand for work. Even the estimates are realistic since the rates are pre fixed at the back end. For the first time, the computer system uses templates for each type of work for arriving at the manpower, material requirement estimates and complete engineering calculation for the works. The works are opened and letters to executing agency and material supplier are generated by the computer to avoid any delays. The customized measurement sheet that requires capturing of simple measurements at the work place is generated. The muster rolls with unique IDs are associated with this work.
• Once the work commences, the payments to citizens (wage seekers) has to be ensured within a fortnight. Field assistants at the GP level close the muster rolls on every Saturday and bring them along with measurement sheets to Mandal computer centers. The technical assistants measure the works and verify the musters. The data is fed into the computer and pay orders are generated within minutes. Pay slips are also generated and given to wage seekers; pay orders are sent to the sub post office along with the cheques. Money is paid in advance to the post offices so that post offices can make payments as soon as they receive pay orders: timely payment is ensured. For material payment, based on the material supplied pay order is generated and the payment is made to the material supplier’s account
• The highlight of this application is ensuring equal wages among men and women. The works are carries out in groups; muster is maintained group wise; data is entered group wise into the computer and the wages depending on the groups out turn and the individual attendance is divided equally among the group, irrespective of gender. Since the amount is directly deposited into individual accounts equality of wages is ensured 
•  ALL WOMEN GROUP
• All the payments including admin and other expenses are captured. The availability of funds is also indicated after every payment to enable timely requisition of funds.
• Data from the Mandals is uploaded to the state server through a data network or dial-up connection. The data is then uploaded into Oracle RDBMS server using specially developed tools for verification, validation and data pre-processin
• Irrespective of the location, beneficiaries can browse for information about their village, work status and wages. By making data available for public scrutiny, the portal facilitates social auditing of the NREGA implementation, under the Right to Information Act
• The website presents the information on the internet for public viewing. The viewer can drill down up to the level of a household/works/muster.