National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the Central Government programme to provide social security for rural people, will be launched in 98 gram panchayats of Bangalore Rural district on April 1. Households registered for the scheme will get 100 days’ labour in a financial year. Labourers will be paid a minimum wage of Rs 74 per day (7-hour work).

Giving details of the scheme to mediapersons on Tuesday, Karnataka Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency commissioner Shambhu Dayal Meena, said the gram panchayats can use this programme to improve basic infrastructure in the villages. “Gram Panchayats can take up any number of works depending on availability of labourers and necessity of the work”, he said.

Enrolment
Individuals above 18 years can enroll for the scheme along with details of his family members. Those registered will get a job card, that will include photos of all those eligible to enjoy benefit of the scheme in the family.
They need to create an account in a nearby bank, to which payment will be credited within 15 days after the work, Meena added.

He said there is no scope for mismanagement of funds as the payment will be directly credited to the beneficiaries account.  Action will be taken against officers guilty of mismanagement. Works taken up under the scheme will be handled by officers of departments concerned.

If the demand for work by applicants is not fulfilled within 15 days they are eligible to claim unemployment allowance. For the first 30 days’  unemployment, the applicant will get 25 per cent of daily wage and 50 per cent if he/she is not given work even after 30 days of applying.