Page 334 - Failure to Triumph - Journey of A Student

A multi-crore fraud has also been suspected where many people who have been issued the NREGA
card are either employed with other Government Jobs or are not even aware that they have a Job
Card. The productivity of laborers involved under NREGA is considered to be lower because of the
fact that laborers consider it as a better alternative to working under major projects. There is
criticism from construction companies that NREGA has affected the availability of labor as laborers

prefer to working under NREGA to working under construction projects.

It is also widely criticized that NREGA has contributed to farm labour shortage. In July 2011, the
government has advised the states to suspend the NREGA programme during peak farming periods.

The National Advisory Committee(NAC) advocated the government for NREGA wages linkage
with statutory minimum wages which is under Minimum wages act as NREGA workers get only
Rs100 per day.

A multi-crore fraud has also been suspected where many people who have been issued the NREGA
card are either employed with other Government Jobs or are not even aware that they have a Job
Card. The productivity of laborers involved under NREGA is considered to be lower because of the
fact that laborers consider it as a better alternative to working under major projects. There is

criticism from construction companies that NREGA has affected the availability of labor as laborers
prefer to working under NREGA to working under construction projects. It is also widely criticized
that NREGA has contributed to farm labour shortage. In July 2011, the government has advised the
states to suspend the NREGA programme during peak farming periods.

RIGHT OF CHILDREN TO FREE AND COMPULSORY EDUCATION ACT

The present Act has its history in the drafting of the Indian constitution at the time of Independence but
is more specifically to the Constitutional Amendment that included the Article 21A in the Indian
constitution making Education a fundamental Right. This amendment, however, specified the need for
a legislation to describe the mode of implementation of the same which necessitated the drafting of a
separate Education Bill. The rough draft of the bill was composed in year 2005. It received much
opposition due to its mandatory provision to provide 25% reservation for disadvantaged children in
private schools. The sub-committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education which prepared the

draft Bill held this provision as a significant prerequisite for creating a democratic and egalitarian
society. Indian Law commission had initially proposed 50% reservation for disadvantaged students in
private schools.

Passage

The bill was approved by the cabinet on 2 July 2009. Rajya Sabha passed the bill on 20 July 2009
and the Lok Sabha on 4 August 2009. It received Presidential assent and was notified as law on 3

Sept 2009 as The Childrens’ Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act. The law came into effect
in the whole of India except the state of Jammu and Kashmir from 1 April 2010, the first time in the
history of India a law was brought into force by a speech by the Prime Minister. In his speech,