After various survey it is clear that the rural economy of the country is suffering even though the outbreak of Corona has decreased.
And so the centre now has to say, the situation will be handled by strengthening the rural economy!
While the scheme acts as ‘oxygen’ to the rural economy by reducing the allocation for those 100 days of work, the centre itself has created an extreme crisis by reducing the demand for work.
100 days work is the major source of income outside agriculture in villages. 100 days of work in the hands of rural people also increases sales.
It activates the rural economy. Either village infrastructure development. Therefore, the demand for 100 days of work is high in the whole country.
But it’s seems government has been toying with a project that is related to the good and bad of the rural economy from the beginning.
Its long shadow has fallen on the economy. India’s unemployment rate again crossed 8 percent in November, according to a report by statistics agency CMIE.
In rural areas this rate is 8.31 percent. The rural unemployment rate rose sharply to 8.4 percent in October from 5.85 percent in September.
Apart from this, a report by the Reserve Bank on 100 days of work has also become a matter of concern.
In its November bulletin, the apex bank said the Centre has reduced job demand in rural areas. The demand created for 100 days of work per month from April to October of the current financial year is much less than the per capita figure for the same period last year.
As in April it was (-) 13.1 percent. It further decreased to (-) 27.2 percent in October. The exception is the month of May.
Statistics show that the biggest employment project in the rural areas with 100 days of work is in great demand, but the government has reduced the job opportunities there.
In the budget of the current financial year, various projects of the village the Centre allocated Rs 36 lakh crore.
Out of this, Rs 73 thousand crore were allocated for 100 days of work.
Which is much less than the allocation of 2021-22 financial year (Rs 98 thousand crores).
But the 100-day work project kept the rural poor people and the rural economy alive during the difficult times of Corona.
From economists to businessmen, everyone has said that in order to boost the economy, there is a need to increase the supply of money in the hands of common people.
100 days of work is the easiest way to increase the demand for work by putting cash in the hands of poor people in a depressed market.
But the the centre does not listen to any advice. Therefore, it has not given due importance in this case.
Due to their indifference, the project is on the back foot today.
According to the critics to hide the failure, they have also created a committee to see how the project can be strengthened.
The fact is, despite such extreme demand, the low budget allocation to the scheme has had an impact on employment and working days.
According to the Centre, 164 crore 76 lakh working days were created in the country from April to September. But in those six months of a year ago, more than 210 crore working days were created. 100 days of work would have happened?
In fact, due to the reduction of the money allocated to this project, employment is decreasing as the money runs out in the middle of the year. In many states, the worker’s wages are also arrears for this work.
Allegedly, the center is withholding money for 100 days of work for various reasons. resulting in diminishing returns, Many people in the village have lost their ability to buy goods due to layoffs in the construction sector and price hikes. Which has a direct impact on the economy.
But this 100 days work scheme launched during Manmohan Singh’s tenure was called a milestone in rural economy.
Because this scheme has a guaranteed wage of at least 100 days. As a result, this project has created the biggest opportunity to earn cash outside of farming in rural life. So the states are eager to get fair funding for this scheme from the centre.
“By reducing the importance of such a public interest project and pushing him back, the Modi government is causing the destruction of the rural economy” saying opposition.
