Thank You, Shri Gehlot : On behalf of URBAN poor
Extract :
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, while presenting State’s Budget for Financial Year 2022-23, proposed a new scheme for guaranteed employment for urban households.
“While MGNREGA assisted people in rural areas, there is no such scheme for street vendors and those working at dhabas and restaurants in urban areas,” he said.
Under the scheme, employment will be provided for up to a hundred days in a year
The State government is yet to come out with a blue print of the new scheme, but there will be assured number of jobs for urban households. Also, the scheme will be based on a legal mechanism that will provide certain number of job days with wage to be decided soon.
Initial information suggest that the new scheme is based on MGNREGA. The mandate of the MGNREGA is to provide at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
Considering the situation of employment in urban areas especially after Covid-19, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour in its 25 th report titled :
‘Impact of Covid-19 on Rising
mentioned that unlike employment generation programmes in rural areas, the plight of urban poor has not got much attention of the Government.
The committee felt that building schools, hospitals, water works, connecting internal roads along with reforestation, soil reclamation etc. are some projects / programmes which could generate substantial employment in the urban areas.
Moreover, there is an imperative need for putting in place an Employment Guarantee Programme for the urban workforce in line with MGNREGA, the committee recommended.
One of the basic concerns in identification of unemployed youth in urban area is different than rural area. Secondly, the issue is about the kind of job to be provided under the scheme will be totally different and will need more skilled workforce.
MY TAKE :
Thank You, Shri Ashok Gehlotji ,
For thinking about the plight of URBAN POOR – and for announcing MGNRUGA
As far as the matter of its BLUEPRINT is concerned, please consider suggestions in my following e-mail :
MGNREGA : Can it morph into UBI ? ………………………..[ 11 May 2020 ]
Extract :
MGNREGA should be re-named, MGNRUGA(Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Urban Employment Guarantee Act )
Ø Besides RURAL households, it should cover URBAN households as well
Ø Besides “ Unskilled Manual Work “, it must also cover “ Semi-skilled / Skilled “ work as well
Ø The daily wages payable , must be the “ Minimum Wage “ at the start of each Skill level grade and
periodically revised upward, depending upon CPI
Ø Number of “ Guaranteed Days of Work Employment / year “ should be :
# Rural Areas ……………………. 300 days ( up from current 100 days )
# Urban Areas :
Class II towns ………………… 200 days
Class I Cities…………………… 100 days
Ø On MGNRUGA website , there will be provision for,
# Jobless persons to register ( providing full personal data / job locations preferred / Skill level /
prior experience etc )
# Companies / Establishments to register , providing full details of vacancies
# Match-making / Allocation etc
Ø If an Urban establishment provides work to any of the REGISTERED UNEMPLOYED referred by MGNRUGA
web site, it will not be required to pay wages ( to those persons ), for periods mentioned above
For them, the wages will get paid directly by the Ministry subsidizing , at rates prescribed under
the Act ( DBT ) .
Any wages paid in excess , will have to be borne by the establishment concerned
This “ Wage Subsidy “ will be available ONLY to those establishments, who install in their
premises, Mobile-based Attendance System , as described at :
From BAD to MAD [ 01 June 2016 ]
MAD goes to Mandi [ 02 Jan 2020 ]
HOW WILL THIS HELP ?
Ø This modification of Scheme will cover jobless persons, all over India – not only Rural India
Ø The MGNREGA scheme as it stands now, covers “ works “ related only to ,
# Soil and Water Conservation
# Ground Water Recharge
# Irrigation
# Drainage
# Plantation
# Land……. Etc
My suggestion will extend the scheme to cover urban offices / factories / shops etc , where millions
Have been rendered jobless due to lockdown
Ø Current rural schemes have to be monitored by govt officers / panchayat office-bearers, who may lack
supervision skills and / or lack “ motivation “ to ensure that each MGNREGA worker puts in honest / hard
/ productive work, at the end of the day !
As against this, when organized / profit driven establishments ( in Urban setting ) are supervising such
workers, productivit
{ Read : https://myblogepage.
Ø Because of this Wage Subsidy ( better name it CORONA EMPATHY – so as not to run foul of WTO ) ,
MSME will revive faster , with less worry for Cash Flow . Products will become cheaper
Ø By providing jobs and enabling people to earn their own living , there will be no need for Delhi-type
“ doles “ – which are unsustainable in long run
Ø This ( scheme ) overcomes the major objections against UBI ( Universal Basic Income ), viz :
# How to decide whom ( defining “ poor “ is difficult ), to give UBI
# People will become too dependent on “ Sarkar Maa-Baap “ and become lazy / stop looking for work
Ø It is better than the Unemployment Allowance of USA ( now for 33 million persons, sitting at home )
With Regards,
Hemen Parekh / hcp@RecruitGuru.com / 03 March 2022
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