The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : NREGS fails to attract labour in Davangere due to low wages

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Wednesday, Nov 05, 2008
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Karnataka

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NREGS fails to attract labour in Davangere due to low wages

H.S. Narasimha Kumar

Scheme pays Rs. 82 a day, while workers get up to Rs. 120 a day elsewhere

— FILE PHOTO

The scheme aims to enhance livelihood security in the rural areas.

BANGALORE: The NREGS (National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme), which was implemented in Davangere district in the first phase in 2005, is dogged by hurdles, alleged corruption and procedural blunders.

The ambitious scheme of the Union Government is yet to reach to all real beneficiaries, and assets in rural areas are yet to be created under the scheme.

When NREGS was launched, there were complaints of use of machinery, including earthmovers. The large-scale use of machinery had threatened to defeat the purpose of the scheme.

The NREGS guarantees 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to adult members of a rural family which demands employment and is willing to do unskilled manual work.

The objective of the NREG Act is to enhance the livelihood security of the people in rural areas by generating wage employment through works that develop the infrastructure base of that area. The choice of works suggested addresses causes of chronic poverty such as drought, deforestation and soil erosion.

If effectively implemented, the employment generated under the Act had the potential to eradicate poverty.

It would have had stopped migration of the rural poor and labour to cities in search of jobs.

If machinery was used in place of human labour, it would deprive the rural poor and agricultural labour of jobs opportunities.

And, the authorities concerned who seemed to have realised this albeit late had stopped the use of machinery and earthmovers in the works that were taken up under the scheme in the district.

Later, the fact that many gram panchayat members and their relatives had registered their names under the scheme and secured job cards came to light and the authorities had removed such members from the list of beneficiaries.

They also took steps to ensure that only real beneficiaries registered their names and got work under the scheme.

A problem now being faced by the zilla panchayat in the implementation of the scheme is the misuse of funds credited in the Vyavasaya Seva Sahakara Sanghas (VSSS) in the name of the workers as wages.

The zilla panchayat issued instructions to workers some days ago to open accounts either in nationalised banks or in post offices or in the VSSS so that their wages could be credited there.

However, the zilla panchayat has come to know that the funds credited in VSSS in the names of the workers have been diverted and misused.

Hence, the zilla panchayat has again asked all workers to close their accounts in VSSS and open accounts either in nationalised banks or in post offices so that they would get their wages on time.

Chief Executive Officer of the Davangere Zilla Panchayat Gutti Jamboonath told The Hindu here on Tuesday that over 60,000 workers who had opened accounts in VSSS had been asked to close their accounts there and open new accounts either with nationalised banks or in post offices.

He said that the State Government had issued an order stating that not more than 10 per cent of the total works should be dedicated for roads and not less than 25 per cent of the works is dedicated to social forestry.

He agreed to a point that in the last two years a large amount of money under the scheme had been spent on construction of roads.

He said that he would not allow more road works to be taken up under the scheme this year. Above all, the NREGS has failed to attract a large number of labour as the wages under the scheme were low when compared with those existing in the district. An agricultural labour was paid in the range of Rs. 90 to Rs. 120 a day in the paddy fields and in the arecanut gardens in the district, while a labour under the scheme used to get Rs. 74 a day.

Though the wages have been enhanced to Rs. 82 a day now under the scheme, there is a difference in the existing wages and the wages given by the Government under the scheme.

Hence, though there are large number of agricultural labour in the district, particularly in Jagalur and Harpanahalli, not many have sought jobs under the scheme. This year, over 1,20,000 labour have registered their names and secured job cards.

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