Feature
Volume 4 Issue 14 - July 15, 2006
N.R.E.G.A. – Work for all, but none for the disabled!
The Government of
It is a well known fact that over
75 per cent of the Indian population is rural. Despite a growing economy,
a majority of the people in rural areas live below the poverty line, as employment
opportunities are hard to come by. Thus, N.R.E.G.A. aims to end food insecurity,
empower village communities, and create useful assets in rural areas. The
approach is rights-based as the assumption here is that every adult has a
right to basic employment opportunities at the statutory minimum wage. Under
this scheme, one member of every rural household is guaranteed 100 days of
work at the minimum wage of Rs. 60 a day. All rural poor,
immaterial of whether they are below the poverty line or not, are eligible
to apply. One-third of the beneficiaries should be women. This scheme,
if properly implemented, will go a long way in alleviating rural poverty.
While appreciating the genuine concerns
and efforts of the Government to ensure employment, food and livelihood security
for its rural citizens with the enactment of N.R.E.G.A., it is distressing
to see that people with disabilities, who constitute the most vulnerable and
poorest of the poor segment of society, have been completely left out of the
scheme of things.
It can be stated with conviction
that all the good work will come to naught, as the goal of poverty eradication
cannot be achieved if disabled people who constitute 5-6 per cent of the total
population of
Ten years after the Disability Act, implementation in critical
areas such as education, employment and barrier-free access remains at zero
level. The economic empowerment of disabled people is key to independent living
and sustainable livelihoods. Therefore, mainstreaming of disability into development
projects is crucial. It is now an accepted position that disability has to
be a component of all development programmes. In line with this thinking,
the Tenth Plan also advocated the introduction of a Component Plan for the
Disabled in the budget of all concerned Ministries/Departments in order to
ensure a regular flow of funds for Schemes/Programmes for the empowerment
of disabled people.
Moreover, the Disability
Act mandates a three per cent reservation in all areas of activity, and
in Chapter VI on Employment (Section 40) it clearly states: The appropriate
Governments and local authorities shall reserve
not less than three per cent in all
poverty alleviation schemes for the benefit of persons with disabilities.
Despite this specific legal provision, it is highly surprising and shocking
to see that the Ministry of Rural Development has not given any thought to
this segment of society in one of its most innovative programmes on poverty
eradication.
But, as if to make up for this glaring
lapse, the Government has incorporated a statement under Chapter 4 on Registration
& Employment (Section 4.6; Sub-section 4.6.10) in its Operational Guidelines
for the implementation of the N.R.E.G.S. It states that, If a rural disabled
person applies for work, work suitable to his/her ability and qualifications
will have to be given. This may also be in the form of services that are identified
as integral to the programme. Provisions of the Persons with Disabilities
(Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995,
will be kept in view and implemented.
This guideline, if understood in
the right spirit and perspective, can facilitate assured employment for the
rural disabled people. While the onus, in the first instance, is on disabled
people to apply for jobs, the responsibility to then provide the right kind
of employment lies with the implementing agency at the grass root level. But
whether these guidelines will be followed by the implementing agencies in
all states, or how far they will be binding to hold the Government legally
responsible for providing employment to disabled people in rural areas, is
yet unknown.
A look at the funding pattern of
N.R.E.G.S. will give us a picture of the magnitude of this ambitious programme.
The project has been conceived with an annual budget of Rs. 40000 crores.
If the component on disability is truly included, and the three per cent quota
is implemented, the funds for disabled people under the scheme would be a
whopping Rs. 1200 crores per annum! Unquestionably, N.R.E.G.S. has the potential
to go a long way in mitigating poverty among the rural disabled.
To initiate the process of including
disability in N.R.E.G.S., K.R. Rajendra, Regional
Representative, Leonard Cheshire International,
To galvanise
the disability sector and to create greater awareness on this issue, Leonard
Cheshire International (L.C.I.), Handicap International, Poorest Areas Civil
Society Programme and Department for International Development (D.F.I.D.)
organised a two day National Consultation on N.R.E.G.S. & Inclusion of
Persons with Disabilities in New Delhi recently. Sixty participants from
15 states attended and many issues concerning the inclusion of disabled people
in N.R.E.G.S. were raised and strategies discussed. At the end of the Consultation,
the house resolved to submit a Memorandum known as Delhi Declaration to the
Prime Minister of India for perusal and positive action. The full text of
the Memorandum can be accessed here.
Now the onus is on the disability
sector and other stakeholders to ensure that the three per cent quota is implemented
in N.R.E.G.S. The disability sector also needs to actively ensure that all
this information is properly disseminated amongst the rural disabled population.
The right kind of projects and jobs need to be identified within the scheme.
Further, there is an urgent need for sensitisation of key officials at the
district, block as well as panchayat level, on issues related to disability,
poverty and rural development.
(External Website)
DNIS is produced and managed by:
National Centre for
Promotion of Employment
for Disabled People
Screening Guidelines to be followed by CISF Security Staff for Passengers with Disabilities at Indian Airports
Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill
Mental Health Care Bill
CRPD Monitoring Report
National Policy
20 Stories of Change(book)
Nominations open for NCPEDP- Mphasis Universal Design Awards 2016.
- List of Awardees 2015 :NCPEDP MPHASIS Universal Design Awards (2.7 MB)
- List of Awardees 2014 :NCPEDP MPHASIS Universal Design Awards (1 MB)
- List of Awardees 2013 :NCPEDP MPHASIS Universal Design Awards (1.44 MB)
- List of Awardees 2012 :NCPEDP MPHASIS Universal Design Awards (804 KB)
- List of Awardees 2011 :NCPEDP MPHASIS Universal Design Awards (864 KB)
- List of Awardees 2010 :NCPEDP MPHASIS Universal Design Awards (623 KB)
Press Release
SHELL HELEN KELLER AWARDS
NCPEDP-Shell Helen Keller Awardees 2013
Features
- N.R.E.G.A. – Work for all, but none for the disabled!
Interview
News
- Memorandum known as Delhi Declaration submitted to P.M.
- “Mental illness will not be removed from Disability Act”: Subbulakshmi Jegadeesan
- New Code of Conduct to encourage firms to employ disabled people in Sri Lanka
- Haryana, a role model for inclusive education
- Student develops ‘Braille Face’ for the visually impaired
- Family insurance scheme for disability caused due to mishap
- Haryana Government enhances unemployment allowance for the disabled
- D.U. to bring M.A. application fee for blind on par with S.C./S.T.s
- D.U. to strive for ‘inclusive’ campus; Ropes in N.G.O. to conduct access audit
- Sensors implanted in brain help paralysed man use thoughts to move cursor
Additional Links
Disability News and Information Service is produced and managed by:
National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (External Website)
C-43, South Extension, Part
- II,
New Delhi
110 049, India
Tel: 91-11-26265647, 26265648
Fax: 91-11-26265649
E-mail: secretariat@ncpedp.org
Website:
www.ncpedp.org (External Website)