Maharashtra, pioneer of the employment guarantee scheme 35 years ago, is now the worst performer under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
Maharashtra, pioneer of the employment guarantee scheme 35 years ago, is now the worst performer under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) with the home districts of some of its tallest leaders dragging it down.
For instance, Pune, home district of Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, has provided negligible work in the past two years despite strong demand for employment.
As per the official figures for the current year, close to 40,000 families from Pune have registered for employment, but the government has failed to issue job cards to them, denying them the opportunity to work. This number, incidentally, is the highest for a single district anywhere in the country and is larger than the combined figure for large states like Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Bihar.
Similarly, Solapur, from where Pawar and Union power minister Sushilkumar Shinde were elected, has in the current financial year provided work to the rural poor in just four out of 1,025 panchayats. Nearly 15,000 families have also been denied unemployment allowance, which is mandatory if the government is unable to give them work within 15 days of registering for job cards. A look at the official website of the NREGS shows that this has been the trend for the past few years.
Satara, home turf of chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, also figures among the worst performing districts. While in 2009-10, no work was provided in the district under the NREGS, in the current financial year only 11 panchayats have taken up development works providing employment.
Interestingly, 16,000 families in this district have registered for job cards, but the government has failed to deliver them.
“The numbers prove there is demand for work in these districts,” said Rajan Kshirsagar, general secretary of the Maharashtra Rajya Gram Rozgar Sevak Sanghatana. “But the government has failed to implement the scheme and provide employment opportunities to the poor.”
Even former Union rural development minister Vilasrao Deshmukh’s Latur district failed to generate work in more than 75% of its panchayats.
On the other hand, Bhandara, home district of Union minister Praful Patel, has the highest number of panchayats (70) which paid an average wage of less than Rs70.
Despite this dismal record, when Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh advised chief minister Prithviraj Chavan in September to transfer the NREGS to the state’s rural development ministry for effective implementation, he refused, saying the ministry of employment guarantee scheme (EGS) and water conservation was doing a good job. Interestingly, the EGS ministry is headed by Nitin Raut of the Congress while rural development is handled by Jayant Patil of the NCP.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}