Update 127: Revised NREGA wages, cases of unemployment allowance/compensation and more

[Rozi Roti]

साथियों,

नरेगा में ग्रामीण विकास मंत्रालय कई बदलाव लाने की सोच रहा है. यह बदलाव नरेगा मार्गदर्शिकाओं में सुधार के लिए कमिटी की रिपोर्ट (आईटम 1.2) और जैराम रमेश के लेख “नरेगा कार्यान्वयन में सुधार” (जो की यहाँ है) पर आधारित हैं. नरेगा मजदूरी दर एक अप्रैल 2012 से बदल दी गयी है, नयी दरें आईटम 1.1 में हैं. बेरोज़गारी भत्ते और देरी से भुगतान के कारण मुआवजे की मांग को लेकर चल रहे संघर्षों में दो महत्वपूर्ण उपलब्धियां मिली हैं: आंध्र प्रदेश के मेदक जिले में 101 मजदूरों को चार साल के संघर्ष के बाद बेरोज़गारी भत्ता मिला, और छत्तीसगढ़ के रायगढ़ जिले में 55  मजदूरों को मजदूरी भुगतान में देरी के कारण मुआवजा मिला.

इस रोज़गार अपडेट में हम दो “सार्वजनिक दस्तावेज़” उपलब्ध करा रहे हैं, जो अभी तक हुए बेरोज़गारी भत्ते और मुआवजे के मामलों को संजोते हैं. ऐसे मामले बहुत कम हैं, इसके बावजूद की मजदूरी भुगतान में देरी और काम न देना बहुत आम बात है. जो भी थोड़े बहुत मामले हैं, उन पर भी थोड़ी सी ही जानकारी उपलब्ध है. अगर आपके पास इन या अन्य मामलों के बारे में जानकारी हो, तो इन दस्तावेजों में बदलाव करने या हमें इनके बारे में बताने की कोशिश करें. हम ऐसी ही लिस्ट उन मामलों के बारे में भी बनायेंगे जिनमें अभी मुआवजा या भत्ता मिला नहीं है. अगर आप रोज़गार के माध्यम से कोई जानकारी देना चाहते हैं  तो roz...@gmail.com पर लिखें.

आशीष

Dear Friends

Several changes to NREGA are being mooted by the Ministry of Rural Development, based on the report of the committee on Revision of NREGA Operational Guidelines (Item 1.2) and Jairam Ramesh's earlier note on "Reforms in NREGA Implementation" (find here). Additionally, NREGA wages were revised effective April 1, 2012 (Item 1.1). In important victories for struggles to get Unemployment Allowance and Compensation for delayed payment of wages, 101 workers in Andhra Pradesh's Medak District got unemployment allowance after a 4 year struggle, and 55 workers got compensation for delayed payment of wages in Raigarh, Chhattisgarh (items 5.1 and 5.2).

We have created two public documents with this Rozgar update, one on cases of Unmemployment Allowance till now, and one on cases of Compensation for delayed payment of wages (Items 3.1 and 3.2). As you can see, there are very few successful cases of Unemployment Allowance and Compensation despite the fact that delays in wages and denial of work is very common. Even on the few that exist, limited information is available. If you have more information about any of these cases, or others that are not listed here, please make changes in the public documents, or let us know. We also intend to make a public doc about ongoing struggles for unemployment allowance and compensation. If you have wish to circulate other information through the rozgar list, please send a line to roz...@gmail.com

Warmly
Aashish

--

1. Developments in Delhi
1.1 NREGA Wages Revised (Effective from April 1, 2012) (State-wise revised wages available here)
1.2 Report of the Committee on Revision of NREGA Operational Guidelines (Report here)
1.3 Eminent Citizens Scheme discontinued (Order here)
1.4 Schedule 1 and 2 of NREGA Act amended (Amendments here. Revised Schedules here)
1.5 Wage payment to NREGA workers via Private Banks allowed (find here)
1.6 Presentation by Ministry of Rural Development's Performance Review Committee on NREGA Performance in 2011-12 (Find here)

2. Important Media Articles
2.1 Aadhaar
2.1.1 As Aadhar debuts in Jharkhand, Doubts Arise
2.1.2 Unique Identity Crisis
2.2 Implementation
2.2.1 NREGA Dying in Rajasthan
2.2.2 Assam team sends team to study NREGA success in Tripura
2.2.3 Panchayat Secretary suspended for NREGA Irregularities in Bijapur, Karnataka
2.2.4 Public Hearing exposes Graft in NREGA implementation in Daltonganj, Jharkhad
2.2.5 Children working in NREGA in Ganjam, Orissa
2.3 Changes in NREGA
2.3.1 Jairam Ramesh against proposal to provide grains instead of cash under NREGA
2.3.2 NREGA 2.0 More in Sync with States' realities
2.3.3 New, Improved NREGA 2.0
2.3.4 Employment Guarantee Council seeks 200 days of work for Tribes
2.3.5 CAG report on NREGA by December
2.4   Misc
2.4.1 Nepal Proposes an Act similar to NREGA
2.4.2 A Walk into the Sun
2.4.3 Villagers unite to work on NREGA Pond to save the life of a boy with cancer

3. Public Docs
3.1 Cases of Unemployment Allowance in NREGA (Find here)
3.2 Cases of Compensation for Delayed Payment of NREGA wages (Find here)

4. Reports and Research Articles
4.1 Can Rural Public Works affect Agricultural Wages? Evidence from India (CSAE Working Paper, by Erlend Berg, Sambit Bhattacharyya, Rajasekhar Durgam and Manjula Ramachandra) (Find here)
4.2 Does India's Employment Guarantee Scheme Guarantee Employment? (World bank Policy Research Working Paper, by Dutta, Puja, Murgai, Rinku, Ravallion, Martin and Van de Walle, Dominique P.) (Find here)

5. From the field
5.1 101 NREGA workers win unemployment allowance after 4 years' struggle in Medak District, Andhra Pradesh (News article here)
5.2 55 NREGA workers awarded Rs. 200 for worker as Compensation for Delayed Payment of Wages in Raigrah, Chhattisgarh
5.3 Death of Panpati Kumari, a 15 year girl because of the collapse of a well in Manika, Latehar, Jharkhand (Report attached)
5.4 Report on Constuction of Bori-Bandhs after survey in Gujarat (Report attached)

--
www.nrega.net.in