Kshitiz Kant; Lucknow
It is seldom or
never seen with any social welfare scheme that any government initially made
it evidence of previous government failure and later adopt it as symbol of
national pride
During Budget
Session in 2015 PM Narendra Modi has targeted Congress over MGNREGA.
He added,”Never
stop MGNREGA because it is a live monument of your flaws. we will continue our drum beat." PM further
said to give this scheme power -- whatever he have to include and to remove, he
will do.
However, within
one year Modi Government did the drum beating, but over its affirmative result,
On the occasion of its 10 years completion of this scheme, Modi Government said
that it's a subject of National pride and honour.
Statistics of
government and it had taken many decisions with reference to the MNREGA in the
last three years both are looked as confirming it that Modi Government patting
itself for the credit with the utmost extent on the name of this scheme for the
one hand and is working to weakening even itself this project on the other .
Example as
follows: According to Union Rural Development Ministry, the families which were
registered for the employment under this scheme for 100 days during the year
2013-14 were 46,58,347 which reduced to 39,91,169 during the 2016-17.
The constituted
committee by Union Rural Development Ministry in the beginning of last month
has stood to be given labour wages under MGNREGA non-essential to add with the
lowest pay of a government employee.
Supreme Court
had said to Union Government in July 2014 earlier ago that the labour wages of
MNREGA must be stepped up to the lowest pay of state. However the committee has
found it that 17 states and Union Territories are paying less wages in MNREGA
than the fields-labours.
Together, the
women working get 78% of the average lowest wage at National level
The wages to the
workers under this scheme are paid on the basis of scheduled consumer price
index 1983 for the fields-labours.
The states
decide the wages of its field-labourers under the lowest pay law (1948).
On the other
hands, the union government has the responsibility to ensure the lowest wages
of fields-labourers.
Exactly before
of the FY 2017-18, Increment in the wages of MGNREGA had put the question over
Government’s claim.
The wages
increased merely one-Rupee for the MGNREGA in Bihar, Assam, Uttrakhand and UP
for the year 2017, according to the report; besides this 2 rupees, increased in
Orissa; and 4 rupees, in West Bengal. If we talk over National level only 2.7% has increased in the wages of MGNREGA labor
in comparision to this year. Before it
this statistics was 5.7%. Not only this, it is one of the lowest wages
increment since the scheme has been launched.
According to the
telegraph, government had contended that the inflation rate is low, so least
was increased in wages.
Nikhil Day,
social activist of Majdoor Kissan Sakti Sangathan, had posed question over the
dual attitude of government. The government did not approve this argument in
the matter of its employees, he had said. Moreover, Nikhil Dey’s statement was
that the government in the year 2014 did not stepped which Mahendra Dev
committee had recommended to reduce the difference between the wages and
minimum wages. The architect of MGNREGA, economist, Jyan Teresa, talked to news paper, has told
this was the matter of fields-workers even with the MGNREGA. He had assumed that it was a discard of work sharing claim in development.
Not only the
government has enhanced little in the wages, but also it has slashed with reference to
the delay in paying compensation to the labour class .
Together, mere
some part of this minimum compensation is being provided to the beneficiaries
around the country.
The government has made the compensation rules in this way, which have truncated the paying compensation fund.
The compensation
fund has been provisioned according to the demand date ensured by the officers
at district level under this scheme.
However, according to the earlier provision, that the working labourers should be paid the wages is madatory within 15 days of preparing the attendance register under this scheme.
Let it not be so, there is provision to pay labourer the compensation till paying the whole wage dues.
Let it not be so, there is provision to pay labourer the compensation till paying the whole wage dues.
It is told that the
compensation of Rs 6.31 lakh was to be paid till May 2017 because of about Rs
53 crore wages was in pending for April 2017, but mere Rs 1734 were paid of
this.
Modi government
allocated fund Rs 48000 crore in budgets for FY 2017-18. In the last FY, this
stat was Rs 38,500 crore. The government in this way emphatically has announced that
it enhanced in allocation of MGNREGA budget Rs 10000 crore. It is the
half-truth in spite of its correct claim rather. the last year the statistics
of this fund had reached increasing from Rs 38500 crore to Rs 47499 crore for
this project. And the fund statistics of other heads including dues of
labourers had reached to Rs 11000 crore.
The facts we
find that the budget allocated this year is Rs 37000 crore for MGNREGA which is
less 10499 crore than the past year.
The recent statistics of government reveals that the government already has allocated Rs 35000 crore
of total allocation Rs 48000 crore; namely, less than Rs 13000 crore is
remained in the Union Account for next 7 months.
In a study by the
economist Jyan Teresa and Ritika Kheda, MGNREGA where had shared 0.6 of GDP in
the year 2009-10, the statistics has slashed to 0.3% in the year 2016-17
How the MGNREGA
became helpful economically to the deprived and weaker section, here’s an
example of Andaman Nicobar Iceland, a separate Union Territory land of India.
The total Settlement
of villages in the Union Territory is above 2.5 lakh. The maximum people are
depend over MGNREGA.
In spite of Net
Connectivity including different challenges, 21000 MGNREGA labourers had been
found here in employment of average 48.31 days here. These statistics was 47.23
for the women working of state.
The recent
statistics of Andaman Nicobar for MGNREGA are in deteriorating condition on the
front after the claim Modi government to promote MGNREGA project..
According to the
stats obtained from union rural development ministry, the end of the UPA-2
tenure FY 2013-14, the labour budget for this state had been Rs 7.85 lakh which declined up to Rs
4.07 lakh in 2016-17
The employment
budget declined about 50%. the
employment has been registered declining since 2013-14 from 8.03 lakh to 4.08 lakh in the past year.
In the past 3
years, the 100 days employment getting workers family numbers reduced from 2471
to 486 under this scheme in Andaman Nicobar Island.
In the year
2015-16, it was mere 204. The workman numbers declined from numbers from 21000
to 14000.
during the last
FY, 49 Gram Panchayats did not spent a penny under this scheme; while the gram
panchayats were in numbers 8 which hadn't spent the fund during FY 2013-14.
Ministry reports reveals that the workman were not able to get
their wages in spite of their work.
the laborers’
dues last year was outstanding Rs 877.63 lakh; exactly 3 years ago the stats
was Rs 4.54 lakh only.
The constitution
has forced the government on welfare based activity.
the constitution
makers had the assumption about the country development that should done by the
sharing of deprived and weaker section of society.
The developing
country like india has more importance in that places where the businessmen
seeing no benefits invest no money.
the MGNREGA has
proved in many chance since the past 11 years that father of nation, Mahatma Gandhi, had talked
about that last man, MGNREGA has proved a life saving herb.
If we talked
about the report of the NITI Aayog, government think tank; it has ratified that
the welfare schemes like MGNREGA has helped much the weaker section society.
Aayog assumes
that the women and the deprived were much benefited with this scheme..
The share in
working both respectively were 56% and 39%. Ayog had submitted this report
before the UN.
Moreover,
National Council for Applied Economics Research published its research report
which says MGNREGA has been a successful scheme to make better workmen.
University of
Maryland and an institution had studied in 28000 homes since 2004-05 to
2011-12.
It has proved
that the scheme was successful to empower the women and to reduce their
poverty.
As the PM Modi
announced for demonetization in November past year, the people had a big
challenge to save their employment.
The workers had
to return their homes because of industry closure in many big city of country.
The officially
the statistics prove that in such circumstances the MGNREGA helped these
jobless.
The work demand
has increased under MGNREGA Since November 2016 to March 2017, the report
released from the union finance ministry in August 2017.
the
30% demand of work under this scheme in the state Bihar Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha, the report reveals; the such condition were
during the drought in 2015 in many states.
Together, many
research reports has confirmed that MGNREGA not only has reduced the escape of
labourers from villages to city, but also that living standard has improved was
seen.
MGNREGA has
played an important role in the basic structure of development and empowerment
of women class and the SC/ST.
In the wake of
this scheme, the earning difference of both the women and the men has reduced.
However, this scheme was also not untouched with the corruption,
but the elites know that the flaws of this main scheme is needed to be rectified,
not the weakening of this scheme.
Writer is editor and dedicate this report to Mahatma Gandhi this week
visitus:www.buntline123@gmail.com
