EGS Bill: Cong pats itself on the back

Nobody, however, would miss the sarcasm which laces Ramesh’s words — in effect he is telling the Left that it is not the sole keeper of social conscience. It was Sonia, who had set the stage for a fast-track exercise to introduce the bill in the current session of Parliament. She had told the Congress Parliamentary Party at the outset: ‘‘This session will see the consideration and passage of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill.’’

The Cabinet met yesterday to clear the draft Bill, which has been listed in the Lok Sabha agenda for the next week by the business advisory committee. The speed aside, Sonia’s views have prevailed over the recommendations of the GoM and the standing committee.

She had told the CPP: ‘‘I would like to take this opportunity of highlighting four specific changes required by way of amendments to the Bill in its present form.’’

She wanted the employment guaranteed to ‘‘anyone, who offers himself or herself for work at the prescribed wage rate, instead of being confined to only BPL job-seekers.’’ Second, she insisted that the scheme ‘‘must not be open to withdrawal at government discretion.’’ Third, ‘‘the entire financial burden should be borne by the Central Government…’’ And lastly, she said: ‘‘The provisions of the Bill should be amended to ensure that panchayats play a central role in the selection of works as well as in their implementation and monitoring.’’

Ramesh ridiculed the talk of the scheme costing Rs 100,000 crore a year.

Going by the Maharashtra experience, the scheme would not cost more than Rs 30,000-40,000 crore. For an economy growing at the rate of seven per cent, this is not a tall order, he felt.