Left leaves imprint on job bill

Bardhan said the points proposed by the Standing Committee were discussed with ministers Pranab Mukherjee, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Raghuvansh Prasad at meetings yesterday and today. Discussions have been held on the bill with all parties.

All India Forward Bloc general secretary Debabrata Biswas said the need for creating durable assets was discussed at meetings with the Left. Also discussed was the need for a monitoring mechanism, a minimum wage and release of funds in advance for implementing the scheme properly.

Procedural difficulties in meeting the Left demand for releasing funds by the start of the financial year in April delayed the drafting of the bill.

All nitty-gritties were attended to during two meetings today between the Left and the ministers.

It was decided that funds will be released in advance, not at the start of the financial year but quarterly. The funding clause will not be part of the bill but will be included in the rules section.

But the Centre’s plan to implement the scheme nationwide in five years will be included in the bill, starting with 200 districts.

It will also have one-third jobs reserved for women and a minimum wage as per specifications of different states, but not below Rs 60 per manday. The Standing Committee report on the bill chaired by Kalyan Singh had recommended Rs 49 per manday.

The BJP has warned it will move amendments if the Centre doesn’t incorporate changes suggested by the standing committee. “The guarantee should be available for all those ready to work. Another major shortcoming is its confinement to the rural areas and job provision for only one person in a family,” BJP parliamentary party spokesman V.K. Malhotra said.