In an uneven plot of land nestled between green carpeted hills at Kochukilikkodu in Vithura panchayat in rural Thiruvananthapuram, around 20 workers are digging a farm pond.
At this time of the year, in late October, these workers who get much of their employment through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), have all crossed 100 days of their stipulated work limit, while a few are nearing 200 days.
Tribal Plus, the State government’s initiative launched in 2018 to provide an extra 100 days of guaranteed employment to the tribal population, has enabled this situation, making it the only State to provide employment beyond the stipulated 100 days to a section of the population.
