The Rural
employment guarantee scheme brought out with good intentions is innocuously having certain undesirable effects to the farming community. Farmers today are
not able to get labourers for agricultural work, as the rural employment scheme
guarantees a reasonable sum of money for practically less work.
However
with slight modification it is possible to achieve the objectives of the
scheme while at the same time protecting our farmers. All those
people who are willing to do manual may offer themselves for work. Farmers
who need labourers can hire people from them. For those labourers the
government shall provide Rs 100 per person per day as is today. Over and above
this, the farmers have to pay additional Rs 150 per person per day. By this not
only do the labourers get more money but the farmers also can get
farm labourers at subsidized cost. Slowly farmers may pick up
only those labourers who do work sincerely and not those who just while away
the time and for those good workers farmers may also be forced to pay more due
to competition among farmers to pick them. By this people may be incentivised
to work better.
If the
scheme is integrated with agricultural farmers as discussed above, then (i) farmers will get subsidised labour, (ii)
workers will get more money and (iii) inefficiency will be reduced if not
eliminated. With the resultant spin off, there will be better growth of economy
and government by itself can get those rural works done by contractors in an
efficient manner.
Farmers are our bread givers and it is in our interest to protect their interests.
