Government outlines a series of measures to boost women’s role in MGNREGS

NEW DELHI: The government has suggested a series of measures including fast-tracking job cards for widowed and destitute women in villages and providing worksite facilities such as crèches as part of measures to improve women’s participation in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh has written to chief ministers outlining several measures including providing drinking water and resting areas.

Stressing that the state governments have the "primary responsibility" to implement the rural employment programme, Ramesh in his letter to the chief ministers said that the central government "stands prepared to extend whatever assistance that you may require."

Earlier in the month, as part of an effort to improve women’s participation, the minister had asked chief ministers to take proactive steps to set up individual post office and back accounts for women enrolled in the scheme.

MGNREGS has millions of workers on its rolls but women’s participation remains uneven across the states. A January 2012 study, MGNREGA Implementation: A Cross-State Comparison, by the Woodrow Wilson School’s Graduate Policy Workshop found that the all India average for women workers in the programme was 42%.

The study found that in states like Tamil Nadu women accounted for 82%, while Uttar Pradesh "has yet to meet the onethird female participation requirement, as stipulated under Article 29 of the Act".

To ensure that more women benefit from the programme, the minister has mooted setting aside "special works that require less efforts and those that are close to their house" for pregnant women and those with infants.

Ramesh has also asked states to ensure that women account for 50% of supervisors at each worksite.

"Priority should be given to women workers who have put in maximum work in the last three years or their daughters. Within this, priority may be given to disabled women," he wrote.

States have also been asked to conduct time and motion studies to formulate gender, age, level of disability, terrain and climate sensitive schedule of rates.

They have to ensure that work done by women is accurately recorded. Analysts say that through proper implementation the employment programme can make a positive impact on the economic and social well being of the poor and rural women.

In its design, MGNREGS provides women the opportunity to earn equal wages as men, and narrow the gender gap in income, which at present is roughly 30% across the country.

Ramesh has suggested that women’s groups and self-help groups be encouraged to participate in awareness generation, capturing demand and planning, besides implementation and monitoring of works taken up under MGNREGA. The Princeton study found that the involvement of self help groups in Tamil Nadu helped women to make demands for MGNREGA in a "single, unified voice".