An urban employment guarantee scheme was launched on Friday for providing economic support to the poor and needy families living in the cities through work to be provided on demand for 100 days in a year. More than 3.5 lakh people across the State got themselves registered under the scheme and the job cards were issued to 2.25 lakh of them.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot inaugurated the ambitious scheme, named after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, by starting the renovation work at the 18th century Khania Ki Baori stepwell near Ambedkar Bhavan here. Mr. Gehlot termed the scheme historic, on the lines of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, as it would provide guaranteed work to the people in distress.
Mr. Gehlot had announced the launch of the scheme in his budget speech in the State Assembly earlier this year, while making a provision of ₹800 crore in 2022-23. Touted as the country’s biggest scheme to give jobs to the people residing in cities, it would provide work to the members aged between 18 and 60 years in the job card holder families. The State government had appointed committees at various levels for the scheme’s effective implementation.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Gehlot said the employment guarantee programme was prepared after studying similar such schemes in other States. “The families whose livelihood has been affected by the pandemic will get financial support at the [present] juncture of high inflation by getting jobs under this scheme,” he said.
“We organised a huge rally in Delhi against the Centre over inflation recently. We will fight it out with the Centre in public interest, but here is a very useful scheme which will provide various types of works for livelihood,” Mr. Gehlot said.
“Tools distributed to the labourers”
While Mr. Gehlot presented job cards to 10 beneficiary women and distributed tools to the labourers on the occasion, Local Self Government & Urban Development Minister Shanti Dhariwal said the State government was committed to providing employment to every person. The job guarantee scheme was a major drive against unemployment in the urban areas, he added.
The scheme will provide employment in the segments of environment and water conservation, cleanliness and sanitation, stopping defacement of property, service-related works, convergence work and heritage conservation. Eligible people would get employment in areas such as tree plantation, cleaning ponds, collecting garbage and catching stray animals.
The State-level inaugural programme was telecast live at the district-level events, which was attended by the Ministers in charge of those districts. Jaipur Heritage Municipal Corporation’s Mayor Munesh Gurjar, Congress MLAs Rafiq Khan and Amin Kagzi and Social Welfare Board chairperson Archana Sharma were present.
At least 50 persons in each ward of urban local bodies would be given employment under the scheme. A Janaadhar card or its registration slip would be required for registration, which can be done at e-Mitra centres. The State government would reward the municipal bodies doing good work under the scheme.
The Chief Minister also highlighted other welfare schemes of the State government during the event. He said the medical treatment was completely free under the Chiranjeevi Scheme, while the initiatives such as the opening of Mahatma Gandhi English medium schools and the regularisation of slum colonies would benefit large sections of the population in the State.
