The Hindu : Kerala News : NREGS helps to empower women

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 29, 2007
ePaper

Kerala

Kerala

NREGS helps to empower women

Staff Reporter

Study says women are in the forefront of the scheme
Equal pay for equal work for men and women

PALAKKAD: An ‘impact assessment study of the National Rural Employment Generation Scheme (NREGS)’ has found that the scheme “provided economic independence to women” in the district.

Women were in the forefront of the scheme execution as out of the 11.57 lakh person-days generated, 8.9 lakh went to women.

The scheme also enabled many women to come out of social barriers and traditional and religious inhibitions.

It provided “equal wage for equal work” to both women and men for the first time in the history of Kerala, the study said.

The study commissioned by the Union Ministry of Rural Development and conducted by the Centre for Rural Management (CRM), Kottayam, found that more women got employment under the scheme as men went out for other works as the market wage rates for men were higher.

1.4-lakh job cards

The study by Dr. Jose Chathukulam and Dr. Gireesan of the CRM found that 1,39,684 job cards were issued to households in the district as on March 31, 2007. Out of the 56,919 households that demanded wage employment, 55,150 were provided employment.

The district received funds to the tune of Rs.2528.32 lakh, including Rs.1744.19 lakh from the Central Government, and had expenditure of Rs.1619.85 lakh as on March 31.

A total of 4,860 works were initiated in the district in eight areas, out of which 3,324 works were completed.

Flood control and protection was the major area of work undertaken in the district. Micro-irrigation works came next.

Kudumbasree volunteers carried out general supervision activities of the NREGS works like preparation of muster roll, issue and collection of tools, work supervision, etc.

The scheme resulted in several positive impact among the poor households. Receipt of income and employment, reduction in rural indebtedness, check to seasonal migration in search of work, etc. were some of the short-term impacts.

Study needs

“Several beneficiary families indicated that during the school opening season, they were able to meet the needs of the children comfortably, thanks to the NREGS. We could feel that the extent of migration to Tamil Nadu has reduced to a certain extent due to the scheme. More significantly, the study could notice that a number of families in the district came out of serious debt trap; else, they would have ended up in family suicides,” the report said.

The study suggested that the State Government should “introduce wage subsidy for agricultural works.

Introduction of wage subsidy will address the issues of agricultural sector in the district in general and the labour scarcity in particular.

There is an urgent need for developing appropriate linkages between the agriculture sector and the NREGS, taking into account the work season and other aspects”.

There is also an urgent need for conducting ‘social audit’ at the panchayat level by involving print and visual media, academic community, representatives of political parties, etc, the study suggested.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala