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Rural job plan losing steam, says house panel
A parliamentary panel has come down on the government for poor implementation of its flagship rural job scheme, saying the initial momentum of providing jobs under the NREGA was declining, reports Aurangzeb Naqshbandi.
A parliamentary panel has come down on the government for poor implementation of its flagship rural job scheme, saying the initial momentum of providing jobs under the NREGA was declining.
The Standing Committee on Rural Development expressed concern that job card-holders could not be encouraged to apply for work under the scheme.
In 2009-10, 3.50 crore of 10.68 crore households have demanded work under NREGA.
“Even though enough money was available with the implementing agencies, the poor job card-holders could not be provided the much needed employment during the lean season,” said the report laid in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
Rural Development Minister C.P. Joshi refused to comment on the report. “I haven’t gone through the report. How can I comment on it?” he told HT.
The panel noted that the government could provide only 48 days of work per household in 2008-09 though the unspent balance under NREGA amounted to Rs 10,345.59 crore at the end of 2008-09.
It also expressed concern that states and Union Territories have been revising their minimum wage rates even after the Centre issued a notification of minimum wages under NREGA on January 1, 2009.
A rural development ministry official said a proposal to cap the NREGS wage at Rs 100 was under consideration. “This will stop the states from hiking further the agricultural wage rate and also restrict government’s contribution towards the NREGA wages to agricultural wage rates that prevailed in January...,” he said.
The committee, however, appreciated the ministry for paying wages through banks and post offices and noted that women participation in the scheme had increased.
