Rajasthan Govt. announced New Urban Employment Scheme of Indira Gandhi Shahari Rozgar Yojana on the lines of MGNREGA
- Prof. P.R. Vyas
Announcement of Scheme
“Under the new urban employment scheme, 100 days of employment per year will be provided to the families residing in urban areas. The state government will spend Rs.800 Crores per year on this ambitious scheme. According to the new guidelines, in the scheme, the people in the age group of 18 to 60 years residing in the local body area will be registered on the basis of Jan Aadhaar card.” An official statement given by ASHOK GEHLOT, CHIEF MINISTER, Feb 24, 2022.
Introduction
The scheme was announced by Shri Ashok Gehlot Chief Minister of Rajasthan Govt. in the 2022-23 budget to provide employment in urban areas on the lines of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Under the new urban employment scheme, 100 days of employment per year will be provided to the families residing in urban areas.
•Background of Scheme
“Just as the Congress brought MGNREGA Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in 2005 to provide employment to the poor in villages, Rajasthan’s Congress-led government has brought the Indira Gandhi Shahari Rozgar Yojana to tackle increasing unemployment in the cities. Needy families in cities will be provided 100 days of guaranteed employment per year,” Shri Rahul Gandhi wrote.
Rajasthan’s Urban Employment Scheme should be Implemented across Country: Shri Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Shri Rahul Gandhi already said that the Rajasthan government’s New Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme should be implemented across the nation.
The Congress government in Rajasthan has brought an employment scheme for urban dwellers that must be implemented throughout the country, Congress leader Shri Rahul Gandhi said that asserting that his party would continue to solve important issues of the people.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved new guidelines for the implementation of ‘Indira Gandhi Shahari Rozgar Yojana’. The scheme was announced by Gehlot in the 2022-23 budget to provide employment in urban areas on the lines of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Under the new urban employment scheme, 100 days of employment per year will be provided to the families residing in urban areas. The state government will spend Rs. 800 crores per year on this ambitious scheme, an official statement said.
Shri Rahul Gandhi said that unemployment in the country is at record levels at the present and has caused suffering in both rural and urban areas. He wrote in Hindi, “More than 45 Crore people have given up hope of getting jobs.” He further said, “We Congress will continue to raise and solve important issued faced by people of the country. This scheme should be implemented not only in Rajasthan but in the whole country.”
Why Urban Employment Scheme is needed?
Announcing the employment scheme for urban areas on the lines of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA for rural areas, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, in his budget speech this February, had said that Covid has impacted the livelihood of the common man. “While MGNREGA assisted people in rural areas, there is no such scheme for street vendors, as well as those working at Dhabasand restaurants in urban areas,” he had said, announcing the scheme as “The largest urban employment guarantee scheme in the country”.
Since Govt. of Rajasthan focused on Particular mission of Upliftment of weaker Section rural population through employment through MGNREGA for minimum 100 days. But at the same time, another segment of Urban poor or unemployed people is yet to be touched in terms of Employment for minimum 100 days in a year.
That’s why the Announcement of scheme of “Indira Gandhi SahariRojgar Yojana” (IGSRY) by the CM of Rajasthan during Budget 20022-23 is very much significant in terms of Employment for Minimum 100 days in Urban Areas. People of Rajasthan have appreciated this step from the core of their hearts; especially those who are unemployed and residing in small towns located in remote areas like Kushalgarh of Banswara, Sagwara in Dungarpur towns located in TSP areas (Tribal Sub Plan area) as well as all the urban areas of all over Rajasthan. In fact about 24.90% per cent population of Rajasthan living in 185 statuary towns, Cities and metropolitan Cities like Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota that account 17,048,085 persons (Total Urban Population of Rajasthan as census 2011)and about 11.20 percent population is registered as Marginal worker as per Census 2011 and out of this about 84.90 per cent of marginal worker get job for less than six months and remaining 15.10 per cent of Marginal worker engaged in part time job for less than three months and ratio has increased due to Covid -19. This current situation is very much alarming. Urban People of Rajasthan are very much thankful to ‘GariboKeMashiha’ Shri Ashok Ji Gehlot for the announcement of this urban Employment Scheme and a common public opinion can be seen, “Yeh to ham Garibo ko Jine ki rah batai he Ashok Gehlot Ji ne.” People expressed their opinion of TSP from SagwaraareaAbma Lal Katara, Feb 25, 2022.
Implementation and Guide Line of scheme of IGSRY
Rajasthan Govt.’s Urban employment scheme promises 100-day work in a year to those aged 18-60 years. Eligible migrants may be included during pandemic or calamity.
Exploring Areas of Employment in Urban areas
Some important areas are being explored broadly like tree plantation, cleaning ponds and lakes, conserving heritage for sustainability to collecting garbage from door-to-door and segregating it and catching stray animals. The Rajasthan government has come up with the job description under its much-touted Indira Gandhi Shehri Rozgar Guarantee Yojana.
• Provision of Funds in Budget Under this scheme, employment will be provided for up to 100 days in a year, and the state government will bear an additional expense of Rs. 800 crores on this. • Guide Line
Dr.Joga Ram, Secretary, Local Self Government department, said: “The guidelines have been issued, the recruitment process has been initiated by the District Collectors, posts have been sanctioned and the budget has been allocated.”According to the new guidelines, in the scheme, the people in the age group of 18 to 60 years residing in the local body area will be registered on the basis of Jan Aadhaar card.
‘The work will be approved and executed through committees at the state and district levels under the scheme,’ the statement said.
Public Opinion
Social activist Kavita Srivastava said: “Just the idea of responding to increasing unemployment and decline in income with such a scheme is a solid step towards reducing distress. The ultimate test of the scheme will be to ensure that it improves the wage rate in the market for labour, that is what MGNREGA did.”Under the new urban employment scheme, 100 days of employment per year will be provided to the families residing in urban areas. ‘The state government will spend Rs. 800 crores per year on this ambitious scheme,’ an official statement said.
The Author is a Visiting Professor, SRU, PA, USA (2004-05) Former Head and Professor, Department of Geography, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur (Rajasthan)
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