Articles
Work for the unemployed
Dt: 15/7/14
Work for the unemployed
It is recently reported that in Telengana there are more than 11 lakh unemployed young people. Idle man’s mind is devil’s workshop. The unemployed people are prone to criminal activities. We see an increase in the variety and number of crimes in the city. It would be most desirable that work is found to all these people and those who do not take up the work assigned to them, may be taken off the employment register.
2. The Chief Minister of Telengana has decided upon the noble task of restoration of the chain -linked tanks a huge number of them exists in Telengana and were storing water for irrigation and drinking purposes. They are coming to near disuse because of the fascination for huge money guzzling projects. In the past during the Kakatiyas and the Vijayanagara and Chola rule, tanks and linked canals were extensively used for irrigation.
3. The unemployed youth may be organised into district wise brigades and squadrons . These may be engaged on the de-silting and bunding of the tanks and canals which had become non-functional. These workers may be accommodated in tents and moved from work place to work place in an orderly manner. Food may be served to them and the cost adjusted towards the wages. The tented accommodation and movement from camp to camp may be arranged by the government at its expense. In this manner all the tank and the canal systems may be brought into reuse . The water stored will raise the underground water levels . That would save the amount of electric energy required for lift irrigation.
4. It maybe recalled that in the period 1943-‘46 under the inspired leadership of the late Com. Puchalapally Sundarayya, the Communist Party mobilised thousands of volunteers to undertake the de-silting of the Eluru Canal from Vijayawada to Eluru. They also repaired the breached bunds. All the distributaries of the canal system were restored to full functionality. During those war years, government was not willing to spend any money for such essential works. Com. Sundarayya, leader of the then Communist Party mobilised the people and did extraordinary social work. The Telengana Rashtra Samithi should take inspiration from Sundarayya’s leadership and work to involve masses of people in development.
5. The funds for these works and unemployed people can be taken from the NREGA. In the recent budget the Finance Minister has liberalised the use of the NREG funds. Restoration of the chain linked canals systems in Telengana will be a model for other states. So would be the exemplary fruitful and effective use of NREGA funds. Work for the unemployed by using NREGA funds could be for repair and improvement of roads; plantation and preservation of trees along roads and highways and contour-bunding of fallow and waste lands for impounding rain-water to raise sub-soil water levels.
6. Some governments in the past undertook “food-for-work” and employment guarantee schemes ( eg. Maharastra). They were ineffective and were largely failures because they were government officer-centric. They cared more for outlays/expenditure and less for outcomes . The latter can be ensured by spirited party involvement ( eg. Sundarayya’s Communist party in the mid-1940s). The party (parties) leading the unemployed into such productive, development work would gain the trust and loyalty of the young for whom gainful, economy-building work is found an d organised.
7. May we expect that Sri K.Chandra Sekhara Rao who has taken up the noble task of reconstruction of Telengana will take to this trail -blazing scheme of development work for the unemployed and utilising the NREGA funds to good effect. (600 words)
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