The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Entire State is now under NREGS: Yeddyurappa

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Sunday, Nov 23, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Entire State is now under NREGS: Yeddyurappa

Staff Reporter

‘31 lakh families have registered for employment’

The scheme was introduced in 2006-07 in the State
84 per cent of the 56,000 works taken up under the scheme completed

BANGALORE: Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on Saturday said that the entire State had been brought under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) and 31 lakh families had registered for employment under the scheme.

He was speaking at the regional conference of southern States on “Initiative on supporting the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme through State legal services authorities”, organised by the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority, High Court Legal Services Committee, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms and Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.

The scheme was introduced in 2006-07 in the State and the entire State had been brought under it by April 2008. There are 87 lakh rural families in the State, and of them 31 lakh families had registered for employment.

Job cards were issued to 27 lakh families, and during the last two years, more than 280 lakh mandays had been generated. He said Karnataka was also the first to introduce payment of wages to all through banks.

He said 84 per cent of the 56,000 works taken up under the NREGS had been completed.

He suggested several measures to ensure that the scheme realised its full potential, including revising schedule of rates to attract more labourers, involving NGOs, providing labour welfare measures, drinking water and first-aid at workplaces.

Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan spoke on the potential of the scheme, which envisages a minimum employment of 100 days to a labourer, and said that the legal services authorities could play a vital role in educating and making the poor aware of the scheme’s benefits.

Supreme Court judge P. Sathasivam said lakhs of people in rural India were still in search of employment. He said the scheme was launched by the Centre in 2005.

Supreme Court judge R.V. Raveendran said the scheme was unique as it guaranteed, for the first time, a right of employment.

He hoped it would bring security and dignity to the rural poor and also act as a safety net. He, however, said such enactments alone could not alleviate the suffering of the rural folk. “There are several enactments that have not been implemented and this too should not go that way”, he remarked.

Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court P.D. Dinakaran said that as on November 1, 2008, the State had 7,44,831 criminal cases pending in different courts. Of this, 2.25 lakh cases could be classified as petty and many of them involved the poor and the under privileged.

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