MGNREGS: Govt to replicate the TN model

The Tamil Nadu experiment of engaging thousands of differently abled persons under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has prompted the Union government to replicate the model in the rest of the country. Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh said that, the union government has incorporated the TN model in our national guidelines.

What has impressed the Centre is not only the extent of engaging the differently-abled but also the range of activities that the State government has successfully accomplished through them. A typical case in rural Tamil Nadu is that of 36-year-old K. Santhi of Bommanayakanpalayam village in Periyakoundampalayam Panchayat near Namakkal, who had never been to work, because of her deformed left hand. Her first job was under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). She cannot cut grass or dig with a hoe. But, she can carry sand on her head with the help of other labourers. This work not only gave wages for her but a confident to her. Ms. Shanti, mother of three children, said that the scheme is a boon for her and her family. Since October 1, 2012, she has been working under the Scheme for 74 days.

She is among the six differently-abled persons in a team of 20 that is working under the Scheme in Periyakoundampalayam Panchayat in western Namakkal. For most of them, this is their first shot at productive employment. And, they draw pride from the fact that they are earning. Just as Namakkal, many other districts in the State have employed large numbers of the differently abled. Virudhunagar in the southern belt of the State accounts for about 21,300 differently-abled persons being provided jobs.

On an average, over 40,000 such persons report to work all over the State, says an official. This year, about 11.03 lakh person days of work have been generated by the differently-abled. In the recently unveiled MGNREGA Operational Guidelines, the Centre has set apart a new chapter — Strategy for Vulnerable Groups. The Central guidelines have enlarged the illustrative list of works, mentioned in the State government’s order. Among them are providing water to workers at worksites; looking after children; dumping mud and transferring sludge.