Creation of employment
opportunities with food security has been an important
objective of developmental planning in India. The relatively
higher growth of population and labour force has led to an
increase in the volume of unemployment and under-employment
from the one Plan period to another. The Government of India
aim at bringing employment through wage and self employment
into a larger focus with the goal of reducing unemployment
and under-employment to a negligible level and of providing
food security against hunger. Such an approach is
necessary, because it is realized that larger and efficient
use of available human and other resources is the most
effective way of alleviating poverty, reducing inequalities,
improving nutritional levels and sustaining a reasonably
high pace of economic growth.
To make a dent on the prevailing poverty, unemployment and
slow growth in the rural economy and to provide food
security, it is necessary to provide a demand driven
infrastructure at the village level to facilitate faster
growth in the rural areas and to increase opportunities of
employment through access to the market oriented economy.
To provide a greater thrust to additional wage employment,
infrastructural development and food security in the rural
areas, the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India announced on 15th
August 2001, launching of an ambitious New Scheme with an
annual outlay of Rs.10,000 crores. Accordingly the Ministry
of Rural Development reviewed the hitherto on-going Schemes
of the Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS), (the only
additional wage employment Scheme for rural areas), the
Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana (JGSY) (a rural infrastructure
development Scheme) and by merging them into one Scheme,
launched the New Scheme of the Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar
Yojana (SGRY) w.e.f 25th September, 2001.
BROAD OUTLINE
AND OBJECTIVES
1. OBJECTIVES
1.1 The Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) will have the
following objectives:
(a) Primary Objective
The primary objective of the Scheme is to provide additional
wage employment in all rural areas and thereby provide food
security and improve nutritional levels.
(b) Secondary Objective
The secondary objective is the creation of durable
community, social and economic assets and infrastructural
development in rural areas.
1.2 STATUS
The programme will be implemented as a centrally sponsored
scheme on cost sharing basis between the Centre and the
States in the ratio of 75:25 of the cash component of the
Programme. In the case of UTs the Centre would provide
entire (100%) funds under the Scheme. Foodgrains will be
provided to the States/UTs free of cost.
1.3 TARGET GROUP
The SGRY will be open to all rural poor who are in need of
wage employment and desire to do manual and unskilled work
in and around his village/habitat. The Programme is
self-targeting in nature.
While providing wage employment, preference shall be given
to agricultural wage earners, non-agricultural unskilled
wage earners, marginal farmers, women, members of Schedule
Castes/Schedule Tribes and parents of child labour withdrawn
from hazardous occupations, parents of handicapped children
or adult children of handicapped parents who are desirous of
working for wage employment.
1.4 PROGRAMME STRATEGY
(i) 5% of the funds and foodgrains under the Sampoorna
Gramin Rozgar Yojana will be retained in the Ministry for
utilisation in the areas of acute distress arising out of
natural calamities or for taking up preventive measures in
the chronically drought or flood affected rural areas.
Savings from 5% could be allotted by the Ministry to better
performing Districts.
(ii) A certain percentage of the allotted foodgrains under
the SGRY will be reserved for the Special Component to be
used in any Central or State Government Scheme with wage
employment potential to meet exigencies arising out of any
natural calamity.
(iii) The remaining funds and foodgrains under the SGRY will
be available in two streams from the Department of Rural
Development:
(a) First Stream – The First Stream will be implemented at
the District and Intermediate Panchayat levels. 50% of the
funds and foodgrains will be available under the First
Stream and will be distributed between the Zilla Parishad
and the Intermediate Panchayats in the ratio of 40-60.
(b) Second Stream – The Second Stream will be implemented at
the Village Panchayat level, and 50 % of the funds and
foodgrains will be earmarked for the Village Panchayats and
distributed among them through DRDAs/Zill Parishads.
(iv) The Programme will be implemented through the
Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).
1.5 Special Safeguards for the Weaker Sections and Women
of the Community
(i) 22.5% of the annual allocation (inclusive of foodgrains)
under the First Stream of the SGRY both at the District and
the Block levels shall be earmarked for individual
beneficiary schemes of SC/ST families living below the
Poverty Line (BPL).
(ii) Minimum 50% of the allocation to the Village Panchayat
(inclusive of foodgrains) shall be earmarked for the
creation of need based village infrastructure in SC/ST
habitations/wards under the second stream of the SGRY.
(iii) 30% of employment opportunities should be reserved for
women.
1.6 Definition of Panchayats
(i) Village Panchayat in these Guidelines means the lowest
elected body and includes Gram Panchayats, Mandals, Nagar
Panchayats or traditional village institutions like village
Councils and Village Development Boards having statutory
character.
(ii) Where the duly elected Village Panchayat is not in
existence, its share of funds will be passed on to the
Administrator/Administrative Committee which will be
responsible for implementing the second stream of the SGRY
in such Panchayat. The works to be taken up would, however,
be decided at the village level itself by the Gram Sabha
(Village Assembly) of the concerned Panchayat.
(iii) District & Intermediate Panchayats mean elected bodies
at the District & the Block levels respectively and include
similar traditional institutions having statutory characters
where the Panchayat Act is not applicable.
(iv) Where the duly elected District or Intermediate
Panchayat is not in existence, DRDA at the District level
and the Administrator/ Administrative Committee at the Block
level will be responsible for implementing the first stream
of the SGRY.
(v) Where the Panchayat Act is not applicable and
traditional institutions also do not exist at the District
and Block levels, DRDA at the District level and a committee
consisting of the heads of the Village Councils etc. and
chaired by the BDO at the Block level will be responsible
for implementing the first stream of the SGRY.
1.7 Forest Villages
The forest villages, which are not part of any existing
Village Panchayat will be treated as Village Panchayats.
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