Persons with different types of disabilities working under MGNREGS at
Periyakoundampalayam Panchayat in Namakkal district. Photo: M.K. Ananth
Efforts are on to zero in on eligible persons, who may have been left out
It was about a year ago that the State authorities in charge of the
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)
decided to rope in differently-abled too.
They chose six village panchayats spread over four panchayat unions —
Karamadai panchayat union in Coimbatore; Thiruporur in Kancheepuram;
Madurai and Kadayanallur in Tirunelveli — for a time motion study, which
was carried out during February and April last year.
The study revealed that on an average, the output of the
differently-abled was about 50 per cent less than that of normal
persons. It suggested that they could be engaged in activities such as
providing water to workers at worksites; looking after children;
clearing scrubs in sites and watering the area where silt was due to be
removed.
In Tamil Nadu, out of a total of nearly 55 lakh households being
provided jobs under the Scheme, the differently-abled account for around
1.9 lakh. As per a conservative estimate, the population of the
differently-abled in rural areas accounts for four lakh. [According to
the 2001 Census, the total population of differently-abled in the State
is 16,42,497].
As only those aged 18 years and above can be employed under the Scheme,
the authorities have issued job cards to about 1.9 lakh persons. An
official says that through the District Rehabilitation Officers for the
Differently-Abled, efforts are on to zero in on eligible persons, who
may have been left out.
Drawing inspiration from the Tamil Nadu experience, the Union
Government’s Operational Guidelines (the text of which is available on
http://nrega.nic.in) have called upon the State-level authorities to
create special conditions to facilitate inclusion of the
differently-abled in the Scheme.
They are emphatic in wage payment: “On no grounds should the disabled
and vulnerable persons be paid lower wages as compared to other persons
employed in MGNREGA [Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee
Act] works.”
For the definition of differently-abled, they have taken into account
two laws — Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of
Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, and National Trust for
Welfare of Persons with Autism Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and
Multiple Disabilities Act, 1999.
Those identified by the 1995 law as persons with disabilities with the
severity exceeding 40 per cent are regarded as a special category of
vulnerable persons for the purposes of the MGNREGS.
Source : The Hindu : Chennai , 11th feb 2013
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