Vinod, who has studied Braille language upto the middle standard is all praises for the Central Government for starting the NREGA Programme and making the rural masses self-sufficient. When asked, does he face any problems while working? To which Vinod proudly replied, “I do not find any problem in digging or any other manual labour as I can sense the things much better than others”. It gives me pleasure and satisfaction when I give my hard earned money to my parents to run the hearth.
Productive absorption of under employed and surplus labour force in the rural sector has been a major focus of planning for rural development. In order to provide direct supplementary wage employment to the rural poor through public works, many programmes were initiated by the Government of India, namely, National Rural Employment Programme (NREP), Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme (RLEGP) and Jawahar Rozgar Yojana (JRY).
NREGA Programme
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has been implemented all over the country with the objective to provide wage employment in rural areas, create durable rural infrastructure and to ensure food security.
It provides an indispensable lifeline to the millions of poor in the rural areas of the country. This social security measure makes the right to work a fundamental legal right - a new, radical deal for India’s poor.
Parliament has approved the National Rural Employment Bill, 2005 seeking to provide 100 days assured employment every year to every rural household. The legislation has received wide support among political parties, social movements and the public at large.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described it as the “most important piece of legislation” in Independent India. It marked a new beginning in the efforts for social equity and justice. He hoped that in the next four or five years it would cover all rural districts.
Dr. Singh said “this legislation will give bargaining power to the poorest of the poor and help those belonging to the Scheduled Casts, Scheduled Tribes, landless class and women. We are offering a modest, gainful employment that will fetch Rs. 500 per month for a family. This will bring landless families in the social safety net”.
A Success Story
Imagine a blind person who cannot afford to make his two ends meet, working happily as a casual labourer, Becoming an independent earning person and financially supporting his poor parents.
Vinod Kumar of village Khatroda, block Mahendragarh (Haryana), employed under National Rural Employment Guarantee Act Programme (NREGA) along with his mother Banarsi is no more a burden on his family, but is facing the life head-on.
“I can work like any able-bodied person. All the distances are on my fingertips and if I come across any hurdle, people of my village happily extend a helping hand to overcome it”, says confident Vinod.
It was Vinod’s sheer determination, which led him to work like any other person. At the village site where the work for digging a pond under this programme to conserve water is on, Vinod works with other labourers including his mother. He digs the earth with the help of spade and throws the mud by stepping up and down the mud stairs.
Vinod, who has studied Braille language upto the middle standard is all praises for the Central Government for starting the NREGA Programme and making the rural masses self-sufficient. When asked, does he face any problems while working? To which Vinod proudly replied, “I do not find any problem in digging or any other manual labour as I can sense the things much better than others”. It gives me pleasure and satisfaction when I give my hard earned money to my parents to run the hearth.
Second amongst three brothers, two of whom are married and living independent lives, he is fond of listening to FM Radio. When his parents were asked whether they face any problem in looking after their blind son, they smiled back and said, “We faced problems earlier, but now he does everything independently. His father added Vinod used to feel bad for not contributing financially or otherwise towards his home, but after getting a job under NREGA, he is satisfied and so are we. The Programme has given him and others in the village livelihood.
The Block Development Programme Officer, Deepak Yadav, under whose jurisdiction the village Khatroda falls is happy with Vinod’s work and enthusiasm.
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