Job scheme falls short of claims

As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tours Orissa's backward areas to see the impact of the National Employment Guarantee Scheme, latest figures from the rural development ministry present an unflattering picture.

While the prime minister, in his Independence Day speech said around two crore people had registered under the scheme, the number of people getting work was 83 lakh, according to the ministry.

In Orissa, for instance, 21 lakh households have job cards, but only seven lakh people have asked for work. This could mean work was not available for the rest. Of these, only 5.6 lakh people worked.

The programme is expected to cover around 33 lakh households in 17 districts.

In Jharkhand, 17 lakh job cards were issued, and around 50,000 people got work. In Madhya Pradesh, 41.4 lakh people got job cards, but only around 19 lakh sought work.

In Jammu and Kashmir, 1,59158 lakh people got job cards, and 20,261 people worked.

In West Bengal, while 27 lakh got job cards, only 13 lakh-odd people worked. In Assam, 3 lakh-odd families got job cards, but only 67,000 got work.

Tripura had more workers than job cards, reflecting the huge demand for work. The state issued 49,755 job cards. A total of 1,89,667 people sought work and 1,85,507 people got it.

Bihar, with 23 districts under the programme, has managed to find work only for 4.8 lakh workers whereas Rajasthan, with just six districts under the job Act scheme, has found work for 8.4 lakh people.

Uttar Pradesh is slightly better off than Bihar, and has provided work to over 10 lakh people. The state's 22 districts are covered by the scheme.