Page 330 - Failure to Triumph - Journey of A Student

well-planned attack, killing an estimated 76 CRPF policemen in two separate ambushes and
wounding 50 others, in the remote jungles of Chattisgarh’s Dantewada district in Eastern/ Central
India. On May 17, Naxals blew up a bus on Dantewda-sukhma road in Chhattisgarh, killing 15
policemen and 20 civilians. In third Major attack by Naxals on June 29, at least 26 personnel of

Indian Centre Reserve Police Forces (CRPF) were killed in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh.

Despite the 2010 Chhattisgarh ambushes, the most recent central government campaign to contain
and reduce the militant Naxalite presence appears to be having some success. States such as Madhya
Pradesh have reported significant reduction in Naxalite activities as a result of rural development
within their states.

In late 2011, Kishenji, the military leader of Communist Party of India (Maoist) was killed in an
encounter with the joint operation forces, which was a huge blow to the Naxalite movement in
Eastern India. In March 2012 maoist rebels kidnapped two Italians in the Orissa. 12 CRPF personnel
were killed on March 27, 2012 in a landmine blast triggered by suspected Naxalites in Gadchiroli

district of Maharashtra.

MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE
ACT (NREGA)

The (MGNREGA) is a job guarantee scheme, enacted by legislation on August 25, 2005. The scheme
provides a legal guarantee for one hundred days of employment in every financial year to adult
members of any rural household willing to do public work-related unskilled manual work at the
statutory minimum wage of 120 (US$2.39) per day in 2009 prices. The Central government outlay
for scheme is 40,000 crore (US$7.98 billion) in FY 2010-11.

This act was introduced with an aim of improving the purchasing power of the rural people,
primarily semi or un-skilled work to people living in rural India, whether or not they are below the
poverty line. Around one-third of the stipulated work force is women. The law was initially called

the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) but was renamed on October 2, 2009.

The act directs state governments to implement MGNREGA “schemes". Under the MGNREGA the
Central Government meets the cost towards the payment of wage, 3/4 of material cost and some
percentage of administrative cost. State Governments meet the cost of unemployment allowance, 1/4
of material cost and administrative cost of State council. Since the State Governments pay the
unemployment allowance, they are heavily incentivized to offer employment to workers.

However, it is up to the State Government to decide the amount of unemployment allowance,

subject to the stipulation that it not be less than 1/4 the minimum wage for the first 30 days, and not
less than 1/2 the minimum wage thereafter. 100 days of employment (or unemployment allowance)
per household must be provided to able and willing workers every financial year.

Provisions Under NREGA