Critiques of the Employment Guarantee Bill

Please note that the critiques posted on this page may not apply to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill 2005, as it was finally passed. The final version of the bill is available here.

This section will be used to post “critiques” of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill 2004 (NREGB 2004). Some early critiques are posted below, in reverse chronological order (i.e. the more recent critiques appear first). More will be added soon; see also the Articles section.

Please note that “critiques” dated earlier than 22 December 2004 are based on a draft of NREGB 2004 prepared by the Ministry of Rural Development (the “MoRD draft”), and obtained in early December 2004. The final version of NREGB 2004, tabled in Parliament on 21 December 2004, turned out to have further serious flaws. These are addressed in the more recent critiques. The drafts of the Bill are available here.

SEWA's Note on EGA (added on March 28, 2005)

Adivasi women resolve to change State's perspective on employment (added on March 28, 2005)

Adivasi Mahila Sankalp Parishad: Women's Day Resoultion (added on March 28, 2005)

Main Problems in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill (February 24, 2005)
Note Submitted to the UPA-Left Coordination Committee by the Left Parties. (Note: the link to the note is available from the top right hand side of the page to which the above link will take you).

Memorandum on Disability issues in EGA by Human Rights Law Network

Comments on EGA by L C Jain (Feb 6, 2005)

Communist Party of India - Resolution

EGA: Needed, a Govt Guarantee Act (The Indian Express, January 6, 2005)

CITU : Circular on Employment Guarantee (Jan 5, 2005)

For an improved employment guarantee act by Smita Gupta in Frontline [31 December 2004]

Critique of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill 2004
A summary of the main flaws of the NREGB 2004, for further debate. [Hindi]

Unemployment Guarantee Bill (December 31, 2004)

An article on the nature of problems of the latest bill.

Comparison between NREGB 2004 and the NAC draft [Hindi]
A detailed comparison of the Bill with the draft prepared by the National Advisory Council, which also draws attention to the main flaws of the Bill. [27 December 2004]

Memorandum submitted to the Speaker of Parliament on 21 December 2004 [21 December 2004]
A memorandum prepared for the 21 December demonstration outside Parliament, with summary critique of the Bill, based on the draft obtained in early December 2004.

Note on the basic flaws of the “MoRD draft” [21 December 2004]
A one-page summary critique of the MoRD draft.

Communique of the Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [16 December 2004]
The party’s initial reaction to NREGB2004, released immediately after the Bill was cleared by the Cabinet on 15 December 2004.

Toothless guarantee [7 December 2004]
A critique of the MoRD draft, released at a press conference in Delhi on 7 December 2004

EGA Sabotaged? [7 December 2004]
An early critique of the MoRD draft