Working hours under rural job scheme relaxed for diff-abled

“The differently abled persons can be employed as babysitters and as assistants to babysitters. They should be given much easier jobs and are required to work just 50 per cent of the work carried out by normal people,” read the circular that was sent recently by the Differently-abled Welfare Department to the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, which is the nodal agency for implementing MGNREGS. 

MGNREGS is a rural employment scheme, implemented in 2005, which provides 100 days of work for a family. Under the scheme, people take up various works in their village such as desilting water channels, construction of toilets among others. 

However, there were complaints that differently abled people were not given jobs and even when allotted, only tough jobs were given to them which they could not perform. “In 2017-18, 60,660 people, out of the registered 1.35 lakh differently abled people, were provided jobs, but in the current year, only 37,583 differently abled people were provided jobs,” said an official attached to the Department for the Welfare of Differently-abled.

Following the complaints, the new circular, based on a Government Order, was sent to the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department for immediate implementation. The new circular directs all Collectors and project officers of District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) to follow the instructions in allocating jobs for differently abled people. 

“Differently abled persons can be appointed for giving water to MGNREGS workers, as assistants to worksite supervisors (in cases where there are more than 100 MGNREGS workers at a particular site), remove dried leaves and small plants from the site, to level the land using requisite equipment, benching (to strengthen the bunds) and to sprinkle water,” read the circular.