Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005
Rural job guarantee Bill passed by Lok Sabha
Special Correspondent
A hundred days of assured employment every year for every rural household
# Programme to be launched in 200 districts across the country in the first phase # Minimum wages of States would apply to the programme
NEW DELHI: The National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill, 2005 — seeking to provide 100 days' assured employment every year to every rural household in 200 districts — was unanimously passed by the Lok Sabha with 52 amendments on Tuesday after a marathon 13-hour debate spread over three days.
While the Opposition gave in to the overwhelming support for the Bill and withdrew most of its amendments, the few that it insisted on — including the one moved by Vijay Kumar Malhotra (Bharatiya Janata Party) to extend the scheme to the entire country within two years — were negated by voice vote. The official amendment promises to extend the scheme throughout the country over the next five years.
Ahead of his reply, Union Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh moved a last-minute amendment on minimum wages. While the Minister did not refer, during his reply, even once to the issue of minimum wages — a point raised by many a member right through the debate — he responded to a specific question later and said the minimum wages of States would apply to the programme and the amendment enabled the Centre to step in to ensure a minimum rate of not less than Rs. 60 a day in States where it was lower.
Beginning his reply with an acknowledgment of the across-the-floor support to the Bill, Mr. Singh set aside apprehensions that the Parliamentary Standing Committee's recommendations on the Bill had been ignored by the Government. Of the 22 suggestions, 16 had been accepted; nine in totality.
Also, it was not true that the Government had not done its homework well while drafting the legislation and that earlier employment programmes had been a failure.
According to the Minister, 50 more districts would be added to the original list of 150 districts where the programme would be launched in the first phase. On the apprehension that political affiliation would be the criterion for selection of the 50 districts, he said the Planning Commission had been given the task of drawing up the list.
Referring to the oft-repeated question why only 100 days of employment was being guaranteed, Mr. Singh said the programme was aimed at providing jobs during the lean periods in rural areas where agriculture is the main source of livelihood. "We do not want to kill the agricultural sector by driving away labour from it."
Copyright © 2005, The Hindu.