In order to ensure proper development of rural areas, while creating sustainable collective assets in rural areas through the available human resources, the central government has passed the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 with the aim of providing employment to laborers living in rural areas and doing unskilled manual labor. Under this act, a guarantee has been given to provide 100 days of employment to families in rural areas. The Maharashtra government has implemented the Maharashtra Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme by combining the state’s Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Center’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. The scheme is called Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme Maharashtra.
✓ Features of the scheme –
● The Gram Sabha will select the work at the Gram Panchayat level
● The Panchayat Samiti will approve the planning plan at the Taluka level
● The Zilla Parishad will approve the planning plan at the District level
● The Gram Panchayat will implement the work worth 75 percent of the approved work
● The state government will be responsible for providing employment for more than 100 days.
● Guaranteed minimum wage as per the government norms.
● Employment will be provided within 15 days of application.
● The adult person in the family will be able to register the names of all the members of his family through the application
● Once registered, it will remain valid for a period of 5 years.
● All the facilities available to laborers under the Rohingya Act will be available.
● Duties at various levels
✓ 1. Gram Panchayat level: – –
● Registering families/laborers/making entries on job cards
● Taking work demands of laborers/providing work
● Surveying work/making estimates
● Planning work
● Providing laborers with wages and funds for work
● Distributing wages on time
● Social indexing
✓ 2. Taluka level –
● Guiding Gram Panchayats about work planning
● Planning work
● Keeping attendance and fund accounts
● Compiling taluka information using computer system and sending it to district level
● Making attendance of work done online through computer system
✓ 3. Sub-division level –
● Revenue Department
✓ 4. District level –
● Planning all work in the district
● Keeping accounts of funds
● Sending necessary information to the central and state governments
● Monitoring work.
● Duties of Gram Sevak/Gram Rojgar Sevak
● Distribution of family registration employment papers/distribution of works
● Preparation of planning plan-inclusion of works/priority/self.
● Implementation of 75 percent of work
● Distribution of wages
● Distribution of unemployment allowance (for the first 30 days. 25 percent, for the next 100 days 50 percent of the minimum wage)
● Organization of Employment Guarantee Day
● Assistance in social audit.
✓ Role of Sarpanch : – –
● Determining the works to be taken up in the Gram Panchayat area in the Gram Sabha.
● Assisting various agencies in undertaking the works in the area with the approval of the Group Program Officer
. ● Assisting in preparing the Gram Panchayat Development Plan as per the recommendations of the Gram Sabha.
● Assisting in sending the development plan of the works to be taken up next year to the Group Program Officer.
● Following up with a view to starting the works immediately after the demand for laborers
● Assisting in social enumeration work.
● Annual planning and labor budget
