A Parliamentary panel has asked the UPA Government to make its flagship scheme for rural jobs, MGNREGA, friendly for the SCs/STs in view of declining participation of the beneficiaries in the programme launched in2005.
Amendments in the Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act to guarantee at least 150 days of employment per household in the SC/STs in a financial year instead of current 100 days and making separate allocation for the poor to be utilized on priority basis are some of the main recommendations of the panel headed by lok Sabha MP Gobinda Chandra.
The panel in its report ‘examination of MGNREGA Act with reference to the SCs/Sts’ tabled in Parliament on Wednesday has also suggested monitoring of funds meant for different schemes for the development and welfare of SCs/STs to ensure they are not diverted and fully utilized on the allocated works only.
Seeking details of the number of beneficiaries, the committee has favoured constitution of an assessment panel to know the reason as to why beneficiaries of SCs/Sts persons under the scheme are decreased in various States.As per the Government data, in 2008-09, about 55 per cent of those employed under MGNREGA were SCs/STs. But over the years, their percentage of participation in the scheme as well as the number of days for which they are provided employment has decreased. The decline was steep in last two years.
In 2008-09, STs accounted for close to 26 per cent of the total labour participation in MGNREGA. Their participation was barely 16 per cent by the end of 2012 while the participation of SC people came down from 29 to 22 per cent during the period.The panel has also favoured a similar legislation to guarantee employment to urban poor, especially those from SCs and STs, in the same way as NREGA ensures work for rural poor.