Kollam Corporation, that bagged this year’s Mahatma Ayyankali Award, will introduce gender neutral uniform to all Ayyankali Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme (AUEGS) workers.
The local body came in the first position by creating 96,499 working days and the Corporation was able to utilise the entire fund of ₹2.5 crore sanctioned by the government. Of the 8,392 families registered under the scheme, 4,696 families were provided employment during 2020-21.
“During COVID-19 outbreak, people were provided livelihood through the scheme. Innovative ideas and teamwork are the hallmarks of the AUEGS,” said Mayor Prasanna Earnest. During the epidemic, Kollam Corporation had cultivated around 200.72 acres of fallow land under the Subhiksha Keralam scheme. Nearly 100 tonnes of vegetables were produced through this and sold through the weekly markets.
“This is the biggest achievement of the scheme. The proceeds too were set aside for the AUEGS to ensure future job security of the families. The new uniform is an inspiration to all the workers,” she adds. In a bid to create more working days, the scheme was linked to sanitation works. The service was used for digging rainwater harvesting pits and drains along with Pachathuruthu project and Pradhan Mantri Awaz Yojana (PMAY).
As part of the sanitation works, drains in the 45 divisions of the Corporation were cleaned and waste disposal activities were carried out. While a total of 126 families engaged in dairy farming were provided working days, 90.44% beneficiaries of PMAY scheme were issued job cards. “Currently, 8,392 families are registered with the Employment Guarantee Scheme. The corporation’s main target for next year is to increase this to 10,000,” said Ms. Earnest.
