The Indian government has created the Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (Universal Rural Employment Programme) to offer rural poor people profitable jobs and food. The government distributes wages and food grain to individuals who fall below the poverty threshold with this programme. In this post, we'll take a closer look at the Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana from the standpoint of UPSC.

Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana: Introduction

• A scheme developed by the Indian government with the goal of providing productive employment to the destitute people of rural India.
• The Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs) were in charge of implementing the initiative.
• On September 25, 2001, the Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana was established, combining the provisions of the Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS) and the Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana (JGSY).
• The initiative is self-targeting in nature, with the goal of providing jobs and food to those living in rural areas who are poor.

Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana: Objectives

• The scheme's main goal is to provide supplemental wage employment to rural workers, hence boosting food security and nutritional levels in rural areas.
• The scheme's secondary goal is the development of rural infrastructure and the production of long-lasting community assets.
• To build long-term communal, social, and economic assets, as well as infrastructural development in rural areas.

Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana: Features

• The Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) will implement the Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana.
• All three tiers of Panchayat Raj Institutions would have access to the funds and food grains provided by the scheme:
  • District Panchayat
  • Intermediate Panchayat
  • Village Panchayat
• A district's resources will be split in a 20:30:50 ratio among the District Panchayat, Intermediate Panchayat, and Village Panchayat.
• Foodgrains and 5% of funding from the Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana would be kept in the Ministry to be used in the case of acute distress caused by natural calamities or to take preventive steps in flood-affected or chronically drought-affected rural areas.

Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana: Beneficiaries

All rural poor people in need of wage work can apply for SGRY. This initiative assists those who want to work in their village doing manual and unskilled labour. The nature of the Program is that it is self-targeting. Preference will be given to the following individuals when given wage employment:

• Wage-earners in agriculture
• Unskilled wage workers who do not work in agriculture
• Farmers on the fringes
• People who have been impacted by natural disasters
• Women who belong to Scheduled Castes or Tribes
• Parents of child laborers have been removed from dangerous occupations
• Parents of children with special needs
• Adult children who want to work for a living because their parents are disabled

Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana: Funding

• The Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Scheme is a government-funded wage employment program.
• This scheme has a Central share of 75% and a State share of 25% for the Cash Component.
• The central government provides foodgrains aid.
• Foodgrains are paid to FCI by the Ministry of Rural Development.
• The state government is responsible for transportation and handling fees.

Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana: Employment and Wages

• A minimum of 5 kg of food grains per laborer is provided as part of the wage package under this scheme.
• The remaining wages are paid in cash. At least 25% of wages will be paid in cash.
• The State government sets the price of food grains at either BPL or APL levels, or somewhere in between.
• Within the constraints of available funding, work will be carried out in accordance with the area's perceived needs.

Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana: Women and Weaker Sections

• A minimum of 50% of the cash would go to the Village Panchayat for infrastructure development projects in SC/ST areas.
• The government is giving 30 percent of job chances to women as part of this program.
• Individual group beneficiaries of SC/ST households living below the poverty line will get 22.5 percent of the annual allotment, which includes food grains distributed both at the district and intermediate Panchayat levels.

Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana: Work and Improvements

Under the Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana Program, any work that results in the construction of long-term productive communal assets is eligible. The following projects are assigned top priority:

• Support for the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Scheme's infrastructure.
• The infrastructure is required in the Village Panchayat region to facilitate agricultural activities.
• Kitchen sheds, health, and internal as well as link roads are all part of the community infrastructure for schooling (roads linking the village to the main road, even if it falls outside the Panchayat area).
• Assets in the socioeconomic community.
• Destruction, as well as the restoration of traditional village tanks or ponds.

The following is a list of other works:

• Surplus land, Bhoodan land, and government property are all being developed.
• On private properties belonging to scheduled caste or scheduled tribal communities, social forestry projects such as fuelwood and fodder plantings are carried out.
• Agri-horticulture, horticulture, floriculture, and plantation on private lands owned by SCs/STs living in poverty (BPL).
• For any self-employment scheme, work sheds or infrastructure are required.
• Open irrigation wells or bore wells for irrigation projects
• Works on pond excavation or re-excavation
• Other long-term income-producing assets

Prohibitions Under The Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana

• Mosques, temples, churches, and gurudwaras are examples of religious structures.
• Higher Secondary School Buildings
• College-related structures
• Roads are blacktopped.
• Through increased labor employment in rural areas, this strategy aims to improve food security and nutritional levels, as well as economic and health development, communal, social, and economic aspects.

Conclusion

Through increased labor employment in rural areas, this strategy aims to improve food security and nutritional levels, as well as economic and health development, communal, social, and economic aspects.

GS Mains Questions and Model Answers

Q1: Discuss the impact of Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana on rural employment and infrastructure development.

Answer: SGRY had a significant impact on rural employment by generating jobs during lean agricultural seasons, improving food security, and addressing rural poverty. It also contributed to infrastructure development through public works such as road construction, water harvesting, and rural connectivity. However, the scheme faced challenges like wage delays, leakage of funds, and lack of accountability, which limited its effectiveness.

Q2: Analyze the role of SGRY in ensuring food security in rural India.

Answer: SGRY helped enhance food security by offering wages partly in food grains, reducing hunger in vulnerable communities. It mitigated the seasonal impact of unemployment and provided an alternative income source. However, the scheme's dependence on administrative efficiency and limited foodgrain availability sometimes restricted its full potential.

Q3: Explain the rationale behind merging SGRY with MGNREGA in 2006.

Answer: The merger aimed to create a more comprehensive employment guarantee system with legal backing. MGNREGA offered a rights-based framework and sought to address shortcomings of SGRY by ensuring timely wage payments and transparency through social audits. The new scheme provided a minimum of 100 days of guaranteed employment, thereby improving the focus on sustainable rural livelihoods.

Previous Year Questions on  Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana

1. UPSC CSE 2014

Question: “What was the objective of merging SGRY with MGNREGA?”

Answer: The objective of merging SGRY with MGNREGA was to provide a legally mandated employment guarantee to rural households, improving upon the shortcomings of earlier schemes. MGNREGA introduced transparency mechanisms, such as social audits and electronic fund transfers, reducing corruption and delays in wage disbursement. The merger also ensured a more consistent focus on sustainable infrastructure creation and livelihood security, addressing rural poverty more effectively.

2. UPSC CSE 2018

Question: “Evaluate the limitations of the Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY).”

Answer: While SGRY played a crucial role in providing rural employment, it had several limitations. The scheme faced challenges such as wage delays, insufficient monitoring, and leakage of funds. Many public works lacked long-term sustainability, and the dual wage-in-kind system sometimes led to inefficiencies. Additionally, the absence of legal employment guarantees under SGRY restricted its ability to consistently address unemployment. These limitations were key factors in transitioning to MGNREGA, which offered better accountability and employment security through a rights-based approach.