National Rural Employment Gurantee Act

An Important Commitment of the UPA Government Fulfilled

 The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 is a revolutionary step in the direction of eradicating poverty and unemployment in rural areas. The UPA Government feel that effective execution of this Programme would mitigate the need to seek employment in the urban areas.

The Act aims to provide the enhancement of livelihood security of the households in rural areas of the country by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in every financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

The National rural Employment Guarantee Scheme is one of the most ambitious poverty alleviation schemes initiated by the Congress led UPA Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh and a social safety network of this dimensions has not been undertaken ever before anywhere in the world. The steadfast commitment of Smt. Sonia Gandhi, President, Indian National Congress in the conception, formulation, enactment and implementation of the scheme made it possible to fulfill an important promise we had made in our manifesto for the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. For the first time in the history of independent India the Congress led UPA Government has given legal sanctity to the right to work in the rural areas. There is increasing evidence that the implementation of the scheme has improved land productivity. In several parts of the country water table is rising after ponds, wells and other water bodies were built or recharged under National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme. It has resulted in improved economic independence for women and enabled many women to come out of social barriers and traditional religious inhibitions.

HIghligts:

a) Historic Act. For the first time in the history of India, every rural household will have right to livelihood through guaranteed 100 days of employment in a financial year at their own place.

b) Right to demand work. Every household will have right to demand 100 days employment from the government. Thus, it is demand driven scheme and not supply driven as the earlier wage employment scheme.

c) Unemployment Allowance. If State Government failed to provide 100 days employment on demand to any household then compensation will be paid by the State Government to the eligible applicants subject to household entitlement in terms of un-employment allowance as per rates prescribed.

d) Selection of works by villagers. Villagers themselves, not officials, will decide through Gram / Ward Sabha, the priority works to be taken up to develop their village from amongst the permissible works.

e) Priority to women. Women will have priority in the scheme for allocation of employment and 1/3rd of the employment will be provided to them.

f) Complete transparency. There will be complete transparency in the scheme and wages will be paid in full public view. For example, muster rolls will no longer be secret and budget and works will be in public knowledge.

g) Ban on contractors. Contractors will not be permitted under the scheme.

h) Pivotal Role of Panchayats. Panchayats at all levels will play pivotal role in planning and implementation of the scheme.

i) Work site facilities for Labourers. Under the scheme, a number of facilities will be provided at work-site. Besides, there are provisions for free medical treatment in case of injury at work site and compensation in case of death or permanent disability of labourers.