MGNREGA is a boon for women and weaker section -- and under aspect of Mahatma

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.

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

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