A Level Satisfaction about Usefulness of NREGS Among the Villagers Paper ID IJIFR/V4/ E6/ 027 Page No Subject Area Commerce

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1 Volume 4 Issue 6 February 2017 International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research A Level Satisfaction about Usefulness of NREGS Among the Villagers Paper ID IJIFR/V4/ E6/ 027 Page No Subject Area Commerce Key Words NREGA, MGNREGA, Usefulness, Satisfaction, Education, Awareness Vilathikulam Block, Thoothukudi District Dr. J. Elizabeth Vijaya R. Anish Cathein Assistant Professor Department of Commerce with Computer Application Holy Cross Home Science College Thoothukudi-Tamilnadu Assistant Professor Department of Commerce with Computer Application Holy Cross Home Science College Thoothukudi-Tamilnadu Abstract National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) enacted by legislation in 2005 and it was renamed as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The Act aims at eradication of extreme poverty and at making villages self-sustaining through providing guarantees employment in a financial year to any rural household whose adult members are willing to do unskilled manual work to productive asset creation. In this paper, an attempt is made to focus some lights on the social background of workers and the usefulness and satisfaction of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in the Vilathikulam block of Thoothukudi district. I. INTRODUCTION The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) is an Indian job guarantee scheme, enacted by legislation on August 25, The scheme provides a legal guarantee for one hundred fifty days of employment in every financial year to adult members of any rural household willing to do public work (unskilled manual work) at the statutory minimum wage. The Act is an important step towards realization of the right to work. It is also expected to enhance people s livelihood on a sustained basis, by developing the economic and social infrastructure in rural areas. The choice of works seeks to address the causes of chronic poverty such as drought, deforestation and soil erosion. Effectively This work is published under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License Copyright IJIFR

2 implemented, the employment guaranteed under the Act has the potential of transforming the geography of poverty. NREGA is the most significant act in the history of Indian polity in many ways like grass-root level participation of every citizen and beneficiary through democratic process, multi-layered social audit and transparency mechanism by involvement of civil society, comprehensive planning at village level towards sustainable and equitable development etc. In the rural areas the major economic activities are irregular and intermittent and seasonal fluctuations. This leads to periodic withdrawal of labour force, especially on the part of marginal labours, often women, who shift back and force between what is reported as domestic and gainful work. As a result, many employment generation programs have been attempted in the state. But National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme is effective in reduction of poverty in rural areas. The objectives of the study are to analysis the social background of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme workers and analysis the usefulness and satisfaction level of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.The study was conducted among the workers who are in national rural employment guarantee scheme of Vilathikulam block of Thoothukudi district. By using convenience sampling method, 200 respondents were randomly selected and collected data from the district. Version 17.0 of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyze the data. II. RESULT AND INTERPRETATION Table 1: Age wise Classification Profile Categories Respondents Percentage Age Gender > < Male 13 7 Female Hindu Religion Christian Muslim 2 1 MBC Caste BC SC/ST OC 10 5 Illiterate Education Primary High school &above

3 Table 1 show that 28 percent of the NREGS workers are in the age group of years. About 25 percent of them are above 50 years. About 93 percent of the NREGS workers are female and the remaining 7 percent of them are male workers. In the case of religion 79 percent of the NREGS workers are Hindu and 20 percent of them are Christian and the remaining one percent of the persons belongs to Muslim. 36 percent of the NREGS workers belong to SC\ST and BC category. A very few of them at five percent belong to OC category. It is shows that 43 percent of the NREGS workers are illiterate. About 33 percent of them have primary level education. This is followed by 24 percent of them only completed high school and above. Table 2: Types of Work Types of work Respondents Percentage Road works Water conservation Flood preventing work Irrigation canals Land development 5 3 Total Table 2 reveals that majority 34 percent of the NREGS workers done water conservation work under employment guarantee scheme and 28 percent of them are doing Irrigation canals work. But 23 percent of them are doing road works and 12 percent of them are doing flood preventing work and remaining three percent of them are doing Land development work. Hence, majority of the workers are done water conservation work (34 percent). Table 3: Amounts Received S.No Amount Frequency Percent 1. Below Rs Rs Above Rs Total Table 3 shows that 49 percent of the NREGS workers are receive their wages above Rs.100 per day and 29.4 percent of them getting Rs.100 as a wage. The remaining 21.6 percent of them got below Rs.100 as a daily wage. Hence, NREGS workers are mostly got above Rs.100 as a wage per day. Murgai and Ravallion (2005b) recognise that, in all likelihood, the only effective way to achieve a more-or-less binding minimum wage rate for the poorest in the developing world is for the government to act as the employer of last resort. The government commits to employ the entire excess supply of unskilled labor at the stipulated wage rate. Murgai and 6522

4 Ravallion (2005) attempt to study the potential cost and poverty reduction impact an employment guarantee scheme would have in rural India. Table 4: Awareness S.No Awareness DF P value 1. Registration process conducted throughout the year Getting job card within a month of registration Job card details available in panchayat notice board Job card provided at free of cost Availability of job details in the work place notice board In this study p value is greater than 0.05; the null hypothesis is accepted at five percent level of significance. Hence, it is concluded that there is no relationship between education and Registration process conducted throughout the year, getting job card within a month of registration, Job card details available in panchayat notice board. On the other hand p value is lesser than 0.05, the null hypothesis is rejected at five percent level of significance. Hence it can be concluded that there is relationship between education and job card provided at free of cost, availability of job details in the work place notice board. Awareness generation through Information, Education and Communication (IEC) about the Act and Scheme is essential. The awareness generation included an intensive exercise to publicise the key provisions and procedures to be followed like the process of registration, demand for employment, unemployment allowance, grievance redressal and social audit. This IEC targeted workers, rural households, PRIs and paid special attention to deprived areas and marginalized communities. The IEC Plan was drawn up to develop communication material designed to help people articulate their demand and claim their entitlements. Information is widely disseminated, especially in remote areas, SC/ST hamlets through TV, radios, films, print media including vernacular newspapers, pamphlets, brochures etc. Table 5: Relationship between Education and Awareness of EGS S. No Awareness DF P Value 1. Guaranteed work Minimum wage per day Equal wage to both men and women Wage is paid within 15 days Adequate worksite facilities is provided Work within 5 km from residence Transport facility available to reach work place Work is done as per annual work schedule Provide unemployment fund Accidental benefits and insurance scheme is available

5 In this study p value is greater than 0.05, the null hypothesis is accepted at five percent level of significance in all the cases of Guaranteed work, Minimum wage per day, Equal wage to both men and women, Wage is paid within 15 days, Adequate worksite facilities is provided, Work within 5 km from residence, Transport facility available to reach work place, Work is done as per annual work schedule, Provide unemployment fund and Accidental benefits and insurance scheme is available. Hence it is concluded that there is no relationship between Education and Awareness of EGS. Table 6 : Usefulness of EGS wages S.No Items of Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never Rank consumption 1. Help to repayment of debt 2. To meet basic needs 3. Help to household savings 4. To maintain family expenses 5. Possibility of child education - 20 (5) 395 (79) 160 (40) 8 - (2) 65 (13) 156 (39) 33 (11) 135 (45) 45 (15) 153 (51) 40 (20) 30 (15) 24 (12) 64 (32) 164 (164) 21 (21) 171 (171) 65 (65) (1) (11) (33) (24) (131) Table 6 reveals the opinion of workers about their usefulness of EGS wages. A statement of to meet basic needs got first rank followed by the statement of to maintain family expense in Employment Guarantee Scheme. The statements of possibility of child education and help to repayment of debt are ranked third and fourth respectively. On the other hand workers give least importance for the statement. It is suited for help to house hold savings ranked fifth respectively. Hence, it can be inferred that NREGS wages most useful to meet basic needs and least useful to help to household savings. Table 7 : Satisfaction of EGS Satisfaction of EGS HS S NO DS HDS Rank Infrastructure facility 10(2) 32(8) 147(49) 130(65) 76(76) 8 Job card issue at free cost 285(57) 432(108) 21(7) 28(14) 14(14) 1 Wages 60(12) 144(36) 84(28) 134(67) 57(57) 6 Work allotment 105(21) 204(51) 69(23) 130(65) 40(40) 5 Easy registration process 310(62) 392(98) 18(6) 44(22) 12(12) 2 Official behaviour with workers 100(20) 252(63) 93(31) 90(45) 41(41) 4 Visiting of officials 155(31) 304(76) 63(21) 52(26) 46(46)

6 Accident, Insurance scheme 10(2) 12(3) 90(30) 132(66) 99(99) 10 Unemployment fund 10(2) 20(5) 114(38) 144(72) 83(83) 9 Complaint redressal 25(5) 108(27) 117(39) 122(61) 68(68) 7 Table 7 reveals the opinion of workers about their satisfaction of Employment Guarantee Scheme. A statement of job card issue at free of cost got first rank followed by the statement easy registration process in employment guarantee scheme. The statements of visiting of officials got third and official behaviour with workers got fourth rank respectively. The statement of work allotment wages with Employment Guarantee Scheme and complaint redressal are ranked fifth, sixth and seventh respectively. A statement of Infrastructure facility is placed in eighth rank. On the other hand workers give least important for the statement.unemployment fund and accident, insurance scheme. It is ranked ninth and tenth respectively. Hence it can be inferred that NREGS workers more satisfied in job card issue at free of cost followed by easy registration process. The workers give least rank to unemployment fund and accident, insurance scheme. III. CONCLUSION In India, the problem of unemployment has become very serious as around 9 percent of the labour force is unemployed. Various causes are responsible for high incidence of unemployment. Growing population, in appropriate technology, faulty education system and failure of growth process in generation appropriate and adequate jobs. National rural employment seeks solution to the unemployment problem not through emphasizing any particular pattern of resource allocation technological choice but through special employment schemes. NREGS will be very effective in addressing the acute problem of poverty in India. It is very helpful to meet basic needs. It is reduce hunger in family. NREGA serves as an effective safety net for the unemployed especially during famine and drought. The Act has confined the rural poor to their areas and stopped migration to the cities. NREGS provides Possibility of child education. It is not only giving rural livelihoods but also involving them in other non- agricultural work. It is necessary to take serious note and check the loops holes of the Act. IV. REFERENCES [1] Anindita Adhikari,Kartika Bhatia,2010.Employment Guarantee Scheme. Economic and political weekly, Vol XLV Jan 2-8,2010.pg no.30 [2] Ambasta, PS Vijay Shankar, Mihar shah,2008. Employment Guarantee Scheme Economic and political weekly, Vol-8 Feb 23-29, 2008, pg no.44 [3] NREGA website. [4] Jogendar Sharma,2009 Employment Guarantee Scheme. Kurushetra,December,2009,Pg no.4 [5] Annupam Hazra 2009, Employment Guarantee Scheme. Kurushetra December,2009,pg.no 10 [6] Sankari. V and Sivamurugan. C 2009,Employment Guarantee Scheme, Kurushetra December,2009,pg no.14 [7] Grameen Bharath 2009,Employment Guarantee Scheme, Kurushetra October,2009,Pg.no.61 [8] Author and Director M&C,2009,Employment Guarantee Scheme Kurushetra,October,2009,pgno.5 [9] Amritpatel Rural development projects and programs, Kurushetra January 2010.pg no

7 TO CITE THIS PAPER Elizabeth Vijaya, E. J., Cathein, R. A (2017): A Level Satisfaction about Usefulness of NREGS Among the Villagers International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (), Vol. 4 No. (6), February 2017, pp , Paper ID: IJIFR/V4/E6/