Recasting Citizenship for Development - File UPI

124 SANDEEP JOSHI
groups; (c) supporting and giving a boost to the economic activity in rural
areas, leading to rapid growth of the rural economy; and (d) improving
the overall quality of life in the rural areas. Thus, the emphasis was on
dealing with the problem at the local or the village level with the object
of providing work during the slack agricultural season and as close as
possible to the homes of the persons concerned. (Dandekar: 1996)
EMPLOYMENT ASSURANCE SCHEME
The Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS) was introduced in 1993 (on
2 October, Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday) in those rural blocks of the
country where the revamped Public Distribution System (PDS) was in
operation. The scheme now covers all rural blocks in the country. The
primary objective of the EAS is to provide gainful employment for
100 days during the lean agricultural season through ‘manual work’ to
all able-bodied adults in rural areas who are in need and desirous of work,
but are unable to find it. The secondary objective is the creation of economic
infrastructure and community assets for sustained employment
and development. The EAS is open to all rural people below the poverty
line. Preference is given to members of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes
and freed bonded labourers; and at least 30 per cent of employment opportunities
are to be reserved for women. While works under other programmes
(besides the EAS) could be taken up during any part of the year,
these were preferably to be started during the lean agricultural season.
The works under the EAS are required to be taken up only during the
lean agricultural season. The Government of India felt the need to merge
the different programmes for wage employment in rural areas to take
care of food security, additional wage employment, and for village infrastructure
at the same time. This has led to the announcement of a new
wage employment programme, namely the Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar
Yojana (SGRY), with effect from 25 September 2001. Though the EAS and
JGSY have been merged with this new programme, the funds are released
separately to avoid any kind of confusion in their implementation at the
grassroots level (Government of India 2002).
Schemes like the EAS can be more effective in tribal areas as the tribals
migrate in the lean season in search of labour opportunities to sustain
their livelihoods. This migration ranges from working as agriculture