Resolution of Communist Party of India

On Employment Guarantee Bill

The National Council of the Communist party of India expresses its disapproval of the proposed employment guarantee bill in this present form. We are of the firm opinion that the bill of such great importance on a burning issue of employment cannot be pushed through as a document, which would not even take off.

The draft bill as prepared by the National Advisory council and submitted to the UPA government was more or less in consonance with the spirit of the commitment made in the National Common Minimum Programme in this regard. But when the bill is drafted by the government it is not only backtracking from the commitment made on behalf of the government but it has been watered down.

The draft of the NAC talked of 5 year term for the implementation where as the government bill does not specify the time. Rather it also intends to leave it to bureaucracy for notification time to time giving it an element of uncertainty.

The attempts are also to club all the “food for work schemes” with this act in order dilute the whole idea of providing employment to the needy without any categorizations. Moreover there is no guarantee big provided for provisions of minimum wages.