Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | States fail to pay dues to jobless under MGNREGS by Devika Banerji

States fail to pay dues to jobless under MGNREGS by Devika Banerji

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Jan 6, 2012   modified Modified on Jan 6, 2012

-The Economic Times

 

States owe rural job seekers more than Rs 68 crore in unemployment dole, undermining the effectiveness of the government's flagship rural jobs guarantee scheme that has millions of workers in its fold. Workers enrolled under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) are entitled to unemployment allowance if they are not provided a job within 15 days of applying for it.

Although the allowance is to be paid by state governments from their own resources, no state has done so this fiscal. The dues amount to about Rs 31 crore for some 18 lakh person-days in 2011-12 and about Rs 37 crore from the previous year. While states say limited financial resources make it difficult to pay, the central government says it is helpless, as the funds must come from the states.

"We keep telling states to pay unemployment allowance, but most states do not and that has been the case for several years," a rural development official said. The apathy of the state governments stumps the Centre's efforts to ensure timely payments under the scheme, which has often been criticised for irregularities.

Officials say that of the payment made for 882 person days in 2010-11, which amounts to about Rs 1.5 lakh, about 80% of the cases were resolved after orders from courts or social audit findings.

"It is true that most of the cases in which we have paid unemployment allowance have come after directions from courts, social audit findings or after demands from non-government organisations," an official in the rural development department of a northern state said.

According to the rural development ministry, only Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab have made some payments. There were protests for payments in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka last year that forced the state governments to dole out Rs 2 lakh.

"To claim the unemployment allowance, you need to show the receipt of demand for work, which is not given in most cases and, therefore, payment of unemployment allowance never takes place," said Shankar Singh, a member of grassroots rights organization Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan.

Soumya Kidambi, director of social audit with the Andhra Pradesh government, said that even social audits have not helped much and that only NREGA labour unions and active involvement of non-government organisations is forcing state governments to respond.

"In the last six months, there have probably been two or three instances of payment, and most of them are because of the joint efforts of worker groups and unions."

Government data, shows that 5.6 crore households have demanded work under the programme till December 31, of which some 5.5 crore households have received employment.

The Economic Times, 6 January, 2011, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/states-fail-to-pay-dues-to-jobless-under-mgnregs/articleshow/11381903.cms


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close