The Report - North 24 Parganas

many others have job card in the village who have worked on the excavation ofthe pond.” Rabin has been involved with the work of supervising the pondexcavation however. It took about a month to complete the excavation workwith some gaps in between. Labourers were employed for about 25 days andabout 15 to 16 workers were all engaged together. Women were also employedindirectly – about 12 of them who supplied water and arranged for food. Thereimbursements on local labour have been directly taken care of thepanchayat. The men and women were paid alike and workers received aboutRs. 84 per day.Rabin only hopes that he finds some alternative sources of funds to expand thebase of his business. “If I do get some aid from the government, I would like to dothe cloth business in my village, instead of in Kolkata.” He also hopes to start anew poultry business in the long run to generate additional income in the family.Panchayat usually arranges for similar kinds of work at alternative locations forworkers on the job card, Robin says. “This program has been very useful forpeople who donot have water and pond. Food and vegetation is also anadded benefit to us.”“The pond is a vital source for water. We can use the water for cultivation.People in the village face lesser constraints when supplies of water are reducedin tube wells and vats. NREGA has therefore benefited us in cash and kind,”Rabin says.