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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Scheme hits agriculture

Scheme hits agriculture

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published Published on Jan 24, 2011   modified Modified on Jan 24, 2011
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may have revolutionised rural households in more ways than one but on the flip side the UPA government’s flagship scheme has affected agricultural production.

Reports on the “negative influence” of NREGA have poured in from every nook and cranny of Meghalaya though the scheme aims to enhance the livelihood and security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing 100 days of wage-employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

There are reports that farmers opt to take up jobs under NREGA than spend hours in their fields. For a NREGA job, labourers need to spend just about four hours a day while they have to spend double the time working in a field.

In places like the Ri War, where agriculture used to be the mainstay, several villagers have turned their attention towards NREGA jobs. In the process, agricultural production has declined.

The demand-driven scheme, which was implemented in the state in 2006, has found several takers and more people are keen to hold jobcards than the plough.

Dibisar Marwein, chairman of the village employment committee of Pyndensohsaw in East Khasi Hills district, corroborated the reports that the number of farmers have dwindled. “Men and women have come out to get employment under NREGA in order to exhaust the money that has been sanctioned by the government for the scheme,” he said.

He, however, added that the people had been forced to partially abandon their fields and opt for the flagship scheme as the government had not been too forthcoming to aid the farmers when the crops fail.

“We are fortunate to have the NREGA else all our farmers would have starved to death. Till today the government has not aided us if our crops like betelnut and betel leaf fail,” Marwein said, adding that last year, the production of oranges was low.

Although agriculture is more lucrative, the lack of support from the government has forced people to opt for NREGA. Middle Khongsdam, headman of Nohwet village, near Pynursla said when the prices of crops decline, villagers rush to undertake NREGA jobs.

Pynursla block development officer, P.S. Tynsong said agricultural farm owners are facing a difficult time in attaining labourers to work especially during the implementation of NREGA jobs.

He also said that if landowners want to get labourers, they need to enhance the daily wage to Rs 100 per day. Tynsong also noted that if VECs send proposals for the enhancement of quality of crops, the government was willing to assist. “But villages are more into construction of roads, ponds and others things,” he added.

If agriculture is to survive, the government should now introduce innovative ways to retain the farmers to ensure that the job card does not totally replace the plough.

The Telegraph, 25 January, 2011, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110125/jsp/northeast/story_13488619.jsp


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