EAR TO THE NREGA has been in a year-long coma in Andhra Pradesh, re-affirming faith in its dysfunctionality
GROUND
NREGA’s social
in-security net
SREELATHA MENON
he net of social security
T promised by labour laws
and pro-poor entitlements
has a quality of keeping bene-
ficiaries enmeshed for eternity,
either due to delays or litigation
or plain cheating by employers.
The National Rural Em-
ployment Guarantee Scheme
(NREGS) is an instance of this
“security” mesh.
The three most common
scenarios under the scheme
are: A. You never get work.
B. You work and don’t get paid
for months as your work
keeps adding up. C. You are
underpaid.
The dysfunctionality of this
well-meaning scheme does not
seem to be deterring the gov-
ernment, the employee unions
or anyone else from advocat-
ing it as a form of social se-
curity for those who are job-
less and poor. The annual In-
dian Labour Conference last
week pinned hope on Nrega to
generate jobs and provide so-
cial security. It sought doubling
the entitlement from 100 days’
work to 200 days’ work a year
per household.
This is almost like saying
that since there is no social se-
curity for the jobless, they can
as well do without anything.
In a state like Andhra
Pradesh, where the scheme
was said to be working fine all
these years, there was no work
for the whole of this year (2010-
2011), coinciding with the spate
of suicides in the state. In fact,
there have been surmises with-
in the state government if sus-
pension of Nrega work has
played a role in the rise in sui-
cide cases in Andhra Pradesh.
NREGA workers’ unions in
Belgaum has been on a protest
for a week asking for job cards
for the people and payment of
the unemployment allowance.
Last month, the union was
protesting in Raichur for dues
worth `80 lakh, pending for
more than six to nine months.
The state government said
last year’s payments were be-
ing made against this year due
to a technical problem. The
unions said more work was
done last year before the pan-
chayat elections and this was
being adjusted against work
days this year, keeping vil-
lagers idle.
In Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur In Andhra Pradesh, where the scheme was said to be working fine, there was no work this
district, activist Richa Singh year, coinciding with the spate of suicides in the state
says NREGA works only when
there is someone to take up the in many districts for a month- land reforms commissioner, So, when the labour min-
cause of the workers. In Ra- long satyagraha for payment Debarata Bandhopadhyay, the istry last week made a case for
jasthan, which has several ac- of minimum wages under the reason for NREGA providing 200 days work almost as a sub-
tivists, people have been get- scheme. The government has just 14 days work per house- stitute for unemployment ben-
ting wages that range between agreed to set things right and hold per year and job cards on- efits, it amounted to betrayal
Re 1 and `50 per day. That the the agitation has been called ly for 40 per cent poor house- of their cause.
Union rural development min- off. holds is that the scheme is run In fact, it could have asked
ister belongs to the state is In West Bengal, the scheme by the landed peasantry, which for, and got, 365 days of em-
no help either. has not been able to arrest the hates to let the landless take ployment, without making any
Recently, the Mazdoor Kisan flow of migrants to cities. Ac- advantage of higher wages and difference to the condition of
Shakti Sangathan led workers cording to the state’s former employment. the villagers.