Govt to spend Rs 5.4K cr for plantation; MNREGA workers to get Rs 15/plant per month for five years
The Modi Government will spend a whopping Rs 5,400 crore for plantation of 3.6 crore saplings along 1,79,000 km of roads across the country with the help of MNREGA workers in the next five years.
The Union Rural Development Ministry has prepared a detailed roadmap for the project “Plan of action for roadside tree plantation under MNREGA” that envisages assigning of 200 saplings to a household. This will fetch them livelihood for the next five years if they take care of them.
On a stretch of 1 km, 100 saplings will be planted on each side of the road. For the fiscal 2014-15, the States have been asked to identify a total 50,000 km stretches under National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) for the plantations.
As per the action plan, Rs 15 will be paid per month per plant to each household taking up the job for maintenance of the sapling for the next five years. This roughly works out to a monthly income of Rs 3,000 and Rs 36,000 annually for the workers.
The move follows Union Rural Development and Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari’s recent announcement to plant trees along the NHAI and PMGSY roads with an aim to create jobs for the unemployed youth and protect the environment.
“The MNREGA workers will arrange saplings on their own for this fiscal, but from next year nurseries will be prepared to make the saplings to be planted on the roads,” Subram-aniyam, Joint Secretary in the RD Ministry told The Pioneer. He said that States like Bihar are already doing an excellent work road plantation job.
“The length of National Highways in the country is around 79,000 km while PMGSY roads account for 1 lakh km. Roadside tree plantation will provide wage employment and also create productive assets. Further, it will check the deterioration of roads and reduce global warming,” the official added.
He said that being a demand-driven scheme, it will depend on the States how enthusiastic they are in taking up the project and motivate rural workers for plantation. The scheme is useful particularly in the rainy season when there are little other activities. Moreover, it will ensure 100 days of guaranteed employment as envisaged under the MNREGA.
“As per estimate for 200 plants for five years, each beneficiary household will be issued muster covering the whole period of the scheme. As and when 100 days are completed by the household, the muster for the rest of the period will be issued as a semi-skilled work and paid from the material component,” the official explained.
He added that the best part of the scheme is that elderly people, physically challenged and widows could get employment for taking care of plants, who otherwise are incapable to do conventional earth cutting works.
As a precaution, the guidelines states that the plantation does not give any rights on the land specified ownership of which shall remain with the Government at all times.
“The beneficiary shall plant only the species specified as given to him and perform all operations for raising, protecting and watering the trees. The beneficiary will have rights on the fruits of the trees. If the removal of the plant is essential the beneficiary shall do re-plantation at his cost,” says the guidelines.
To ensure availability of seedlings for the plants, the nursery will also be prepared by the MNREGA workers, as per the guidelines which give in details the schedule of activities for plantation from identification of roads to nursery preparation, de-weeding and plantation to number of times watering.
The measurement of the task accomplished will include number of the plants surviving and number of plants for which the notified tasks have been completed.
Regarding the payment to the beneficiaries, a senior official said, it will be based on activities carried out as per schedule and survival of plants on a monthly basis, before 15th of each month and survival of pervious months recorded. The guidelines gives in detail the task required to be completed for the monthly maintenance. The cost of wages/material under the scheme shall be transferred directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
Gram Panchayats will be taken into confidence and the unemployed youth could be assigned 50 trees each which could fetch livelihood for them from the produce.
“We have asked the States to take up the work wherever there is a scope. The plantation of trees will be completed within three months,” the official said.
It is felt that the roadside plantation will not only create productive assets but will also check the deterioration of roads and will contribute to strengthen ecological balance and reduce global warming.
The PMGSY roads for taking up the plantation work are to be identified by PMGSY filed officers in consultation with the gram panchyats and MNREGA officers while the national highways will be identified by the NHAI.
The trees proposed to be planted include teak, semal, shisham, peepal, bargad, gular, selix, poplar and mulberry among others. The official said that in case someone else illegally cut the tree being raised by the MNREGA worker an FIR will be registered.