A new service in the basket, Umri Panchyat, Madhya Pradesh
She lives in Koti village of Narendra Nagar block in Tehri-Garhwal District, Uttarakhand. Guddi Devi, a poverty stricken woman, has two sons still dependent on her.
When a Soochna Seva team conducted a field visit to her village, they observed that of all the issues the one which stood out the most was the problem of not getting enough work or timely labour wages.
The Soochna Seva team then informed Guddi and other villagers about the MGNREGA scheme and the benefits they are entitled to under it. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is the flagship programme of the government aiming at enhancing livelihood security of rural households by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. One-third of the participation is by women. Over the years, the average wage paid under the scheme has risen from ` 65 in 2006-07 to `115 in 2011-12. Only Job Card holders can be employed for MGNREGA work.
This programme has been implemented in the rural areas of all districts. As a result, the bargaining power of rural labour has increased, and consequently, private sector wages have also risen.
Moreover, the Centre has launched an electronic fund management system for direct and faster release of wages under the MDNREGA scheme. The National Electronic Fund Management System (NeFMS) enables direct and immediate credit of wages into the accounts of the MNREGA beneficiaries. The gram panchayat and blocks, after due verification of work and muster rolls, generate an electronic fund transfer order to deposit the wages directly into the beneficiary accounts. The new platform ensures transfer of wages to the workers’ accounts within 48 hours of the issue of the order.
After we informed Guddi Devi about this scheme, she immediately applied for MGNREGA benefits and now she is enough financially equipped to raise her children well. As a result of the information service rendered by Soochna Seva, Guddi Devi will never again have to stoop and beg in front of contractors for work or the money she has a right over!
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