NREGS: Senior citizens get less strenuous jobs

Setting a role model for local bodies in the country, a gram panchayat in Kerala's Wayanad district has come out with a novel scheme to provide social security to senior citizens by providing less strenuous jobs under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

The project titled 'Thanal' launched by Edavaka Gram Panchayat with MGNREGS help, has provided less strenuous jobs for 600 senior citizens, including 250 tribals and 10 physically challenged in 15 nursery units, Panchayat President, Justine Baby has said.

Each unit proposes to plant around 10000 to 25000 arecanut, coffee, pepper and fruit-bearing saplings in polythene bags.

Senior citizens are entrusted with their upkeep as the panchayat provides required material to the nurseries, he said.

The saplings will be planted free of cost in the premises of tribal families, marginal and small-scale farmers in the panchayat under the scheme by June end, says K R Jayaprakash, vice-president of the Panchayat.

MGNRGES had been launched to give jobs to senior citizens, widows and physically challenged.

However, most local bodies fail to abide by the guidelines, Justine said.

"Senior citizens were provided job cards when NREGS was introduced in our panchayat.

"However, a study last year showed that majority of them opted out, apprehending that they would not be able to compete with youngsters," Justine said.

The panchayat had last year initiated a pilot project for senior citizens in select nurseries and its success had 'inspired us' to launch the project in 15 of the 18 wards of the panchayat, he said.

The beneficiaries too expressed their happiness for enslisting them in the project.

Vellachi, a 70-year old woman of Edacherry tribal colony in the panchayat said though she got the NREGS job card in 2008, she stopped working on the first day itself as 'the youngsters were way ahead of me.

But now I can earn a decent Rs 125 a day as work at the nursery is not strenuous and suits us'.

The panchayat plans to launch a project titled 'Ente Thanal' this year, similar to the state government sponsored 'Ente Maram' project envisaged to plant sapplings distributed among the school children, Jayaprakash said.

Under the planned project, it is proposed to plant the remaining fruit tree saplings along panchayat roads with the help of school children and Kudumbasree workers, Manu Kuzhivelil, Panchayat Standing Committee chairman said.