Jharkhand plans job guarantee scheme for urban poor

According to a draft plan being considered, the work will be demand based and divided into various categories like cleanliness, water harvesting, tree plantation, public works construction or repair and managing shelter homes, among others. Workers will be paid the minimum wage as notified by the state government.

The minimum wage per day in Jharkhand ranges from Rs 274.81 to Rs 438.39 based on the skill of the workers.

“The urban population involved in the informal economy is staring at a crisis unseen before. In Jharkhand, approximately one-fourth of the households in the urban areas (3.5-4 lakh BPL families) are likely to be affected by the extended lockdown,” a source in the Chief Minister’s Office said.

As per estimates, about 13-14 lakh households in the state are in urban areas, of which around 15 per cent are employed as casual labourers.

The amount will be credited to the bank account of workers, either after work or within seven days of the completion of work. “At any situation, the payment has to be made within 15 days of the completion of work,” the draft proposes. The state government will use its available budget, and if needed, create additional budget for such work.

The workers will be able demand work either in writing or orally for a minimum of seven days and a maximum of 100 days. The draft states that if a worker has a child of five years or less, then a female worker will need to be employed—to take care of the child—and paid the minimum wage. All basic amenities, medical facilities, registration as well as a social security will be provided to them.

The draft also paves way for unemployment allowance where a person who has asked for work does not get it within 15 days. Such persons will be liable to be paid one-fourth of the minimum wage as allowance for the first month, half the wage in the second month, and the full minimum wage amount in the third month of no work.