Financial crisis subsequent to COVID-19 and the decreasing job openings in the private sector have prompted educated youth to take up odd jobs under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in Kozhikode district.
Coordinators of projects say educated youth are registering their names to avail themselves of benefits of the scheme to tide over the crisis situation.
In Azhiyoor panchayat, three graduates registered their names recently for working under the scheme and secured job cards. Two youths who completed training in Industrial Training Institutes have also joined the scheme.
More grama panchayats in the district are encouraging the trend to meet the shortage of labourers under the scheme.
Grama panchayat authorities in Azhiyoor say they are enrolling men under the MGNREGS for the first time. All the 1,537 people previously registered to work under the scheme were women and the new enrolments will definitely bring in a change in the sector, they say.
A daily wage of ₹291 will be given to enrolled workers under the scheme. Many are attracted to the scheme as they will be able to work in their own area. The entry of educated youths has also been taken as a positive factor by the panchayat authorities.
“The sad part is that our panchayat was declared a containment zone soon after their enrolment. All works have been stopped now and normal functioning may resume in a few weeks,” says Azhiyoor grama panchayat president V.P. Jayan.
He says unemployed youths will be able to explore the scheme if the Centre can add jobs that suit the skills of educated peope.
Mohammad Ja, joint project coordinator of MGNREGS in Kozhikode, says many youths now take up the job as family members above 65 years of age are now unable to work in the field in view of the COVID protocol.
“In Kozhikode district, the new enrolment since the outbreak of the pandemic alone is 5,000. There are also persons who joined the scheme after they lost their jobs,” he says.
