Panel to study job guarantee scheme

The Maharshtra government has decided to set up a group of senior officers to study the recommendations made by the Employment Guarantee Scheme Review Committee headed by state finance minister Jayant Patil.

The group, in three months, will suggest which recommendation of the Patil Committee could be implemented.

Maharashtra minister for EGS Harshavardhan Patil said the suggestions of the study group would be considered by the cabinet and presented before the legislative assembly.

"The state has not accepted any of the 40 recommendations of the Patil Committee. The decision will depend on the suggestions of the group," Patil said.

Among the major recommendations of the Patil committee are-preparation of a comprehensive plan for the development of 44,000 catchment areas in the state; to put in place lasting methodology for water conservation; encourage plantation of Jatropha in the arid areas and relaxation of operating conditions to simplify implementation of projects under EGS.

Patil said the projects under EGS were targeted at the rural unemployed and there was no question of allowing contractors in the process.

Involvement of contractors, even if allowed, will be restricted to the projects that have been left incomplete for a very long time," he said. In any case, the recommendation to involve contractors is among those presented in the review committee report which is yet to be studied by the state, he said.

Patil said the state has planned a Rs 2400 crore spend under rural EGS in 12 districts during the year 2006-07 and the estimated collection of professional tax (which is a source of funds for rural EGS) is Rs 2600.

He said the state had made a decision to match the daily wage for EGS workers as approved by the centre for the national EGS and in fact the state want to improve that.

He said the practice of paying the workers through bank accounts or post office savings bank route had shown good results and would be extended further to check the malpractices in the scheme.