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| ‘UNNATI’: SKILLING THE UNSKILLED | | | Dr. Parveen Kumar
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a safety net programme launched by the than United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government under the Primeminister of Sh. Manmohan Singh is one of the largest wage employment programme in the country. Also, recognized as world’s largest state sponsored job scheme to eradicate poverty by the World Bank, MGNREGA was one of the major flagships programmes of the Congress led United Progressive Alliance government in its first term (2004-09). The programme was carefully designed to address the growing rural distress by guaranteeing an assured 100 days (unskilled manual work) work to rural households. While in the initial phase (2006-2007), the scheme was spread across 200 rural districts of the country, by fifteenth year, the scheme covers almost whole of India. The scheme has been envisaged to enhance livelihood security of the 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. Independent research evaluations equivocally report that despite implementation gaps, the MGNREGA has continued to achieve milestones in the collective Indian journey towards grounding the values of equality and social justice as enshrined in the constitution of India. A key highlight of the scheme was the central role it accorded to the neglected Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs). From identification of works, section of beneficiaries to payment of wages, Gram Panchayats (GPs) were provided crucial roles in running the scheme. The MGNREGA proved its worth in creating millions of man days of employment in rural areas with a considerable share going to female workers, creation of valuable assets and improved infrastructure in villages and empowerment of local communities.
Taking the scope of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) scheme a notch higher, the government is now all set to skill the unskilled workers working under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. This will help to equip them with better employment opportunities and to also the government to make good the loss of skilled labourers. This is being done under the project ‘UNNATI’. It aims at ensuring that a MGNREGA family moves beyond labour work to improve employment opportunities. The labourers enrolled in MGNREGA have now the opportunity to upgrade their skill sets and equip themselves with better employment opportunities. To ensure that these MGNREGA workers attend the skill training programmes, the Ministry of Rural Development would make good the loss of daily livelihood of the family to the tune of rupees 200-250 daily as the MGNREGA worker undergoes training. This would also ensure that peoples attend training programmes without the fear of losing out on their daily wages. A government hand out says that the programme (UNNATI) is meant to train one adult member (between 18 and 45 years) per house household, who has completed 100 days of work under MGNREGA in the previous financial year. The candidate undergoing training will be paid stipend for a maximum period of 100 days and for one programme per household as per the prevailing wages in the state concerned.
Since the cost of the MGNREGA programme is high, the government also feels that over the next five years the number of families supported by the flagship initiative should decline. The money would be given to the family. The family would be given the daily allowance even if the male member is undergoing training and the woman is employed under MGNREGA. Aspirational districts are being given priority in this initiative. Very old peoples would not be skilled. MGNREGA workers in the age bracket of 18 to 45 will be the preferred one. This skilling programme was included under the government’s 100 day agenda.
The ministry has also tied up with Krishi Vigyan Kendras to train the MGNREGA workers in preparation of organic manure and basic storage of crop produce. The government has prepared 40-day on-site module for mason training and plumbing work also. Involving Krishi Vigyan Kendra’s with UNNATI is also a good move because of the different Subject Matter Specialists working in the KVKs all across the country. These KVKs can skill them in different aspects related to agriculture like vermi compost production technology, value addition and processing of fruits and vegetables, mushroom and spawn production, artificial insemination, storage of different commodities and many other topics relevant to creation of self employment opportunities. The skilled workers can then be linked up with banks and other financial institutions for financial support to set up their own ventures. Once established, these ventures can also create employment opportunities for others. According to data available on the MGNREGA portal, people from 5.27 crore households worked under the rural job guarantee scheme in the last fiscal. Of these, 52.59 lakh households completed 100 days of work, thus making them eligible to avail benefits of UNNATI. The registration of candidates will be done through Aadhar identification. The household from which a candidate will be selected for training will continue to enjoy 100 days of work under MGNREGA. The duration of the project will be three years, the source said, it is estimated that a total of 2 lakh MGNREGA beneficiaries can be trained between 2019-20 and 2021-22.
According to sources in Ministry of Rural Development, based on the duration of the skill training programme and prevailing wage rates in their states, MGNREGA workers who complete the course will get stipend from Rs 5,970 to 21,500 between 2019 and 2022. The total fund requirement to implement UNNATI for three years is approximately Rs 307.34 crore and funds for the same will be made available from the fund earmarked for capacity building and technical support under MGNREGA.
Skilling the unskilled MGNREGA worker under UNNATI is definitely a good move that will help them move from distress employment to full-time jobs. In UNNATI, the government has a potential effective element to address the shortage of skilled men power and employment opportunities. |
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