In response to rising unemployment rates, the state of Jharkhand in India has launched three employment schemes to generate wage opportunities for workers in rural areas. These schemes are being integrated with the existing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and aim to augment the rural economy drastically over the next five years.
Birsa Harit Gram Yojana (BHGY)
BHGY aims to combat unemployment by leveraging unused government fallow land for afforestation. The initiative plans to cultivate over two lakh acres with 100 fruit-bearing plants given to approximately five lakh families. MGNREGA will cover the costs associated with the initial plantation, ongoing maintenance, land work and afforestation. Despite generating a presumed annual income of ₹50,000 for each family after three years from fruit harvests, the ownership of the land will remain with the government.
Neelambar Pitambar JAL Sammridhi Yojana (NPJSY)
The NPJSY scheme targets the creation of agro-water storage units. By arresting rainwater and runaway groundwater, the government hopes to irrigate nearly five lakh acre of cultivable land. This scheme is projected to generate an estimated 10 crore person days over the next four to five years.
Veer Sahid Poto Ho Khel Vikas Scheme (VSPHKVS)
VSPHKVS connects sports with rural job schemes, creating assets and employment opportunities in rural areas while also promoting sports. The plan is to establish around 5,000 sports grounds, ensuring at least one in each of the 4,300 panchayats.
The Current Scenario
These schemes come at a time when Jharkhand is battling an acute unemployment crisis. Recent data by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CIME) painted a bleak picture with the state’s joblessness rate at a staggering 47.1%, which is double the national average of 23.5%. The situation is likely to worsen due to the influx of an estimated 5 to 6 lakh stranded migrant workers returning home following Covid-19 lockdown measures in other states.
Moving Forward
Despite these challenges, through MGNREGA and these newly introduced special schemes, the state government aims to create 30 crore person days and offer wage employment to the rural population over the next 5 years. It is hoped that these measures will bring about a significant improvement in the employment scenario and help stabilize the rural economy.