Click to play videoDoda (Jammu and Kashmir): Residents of Sanai village in Doda, Gori Lal and his wife weave baskets for a living. The district falls under Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad's constituency.
In February this year, when the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREG) was announced, many thought it would bring about a change in the village, where 50 scheduled caste families live.
But so far, the guarantee cards have failed to ensure jobs for anyone.
“It's been 4 months and we still don't have any work. What do we do with the guarantee card?,” Gori Lal.
In Jammu and Kashmir, NREG was supposed to be implemented in three districts.
Over 85,000 job cards were distributed in Doda alone. The recipient of the state's first job card, sarpanch of Khilani village, Rajinder Kumar, is still waiting.
“We have already wasted two months of our work time. Now it’s going to snow and rain. What will people do?” He asks.
The NREG promises work within 15 days since the job card is issued or else the card-holder is paid 100 days of wages.
But for these villagers, none of these promises have been fulfilled. The administration blames it on financial glitches.
“There are 85,000 people who have to be given employment and the total wage budget is Rs 60 crore. Against this we had only Rs 4 crore,” says Deputy commissioner, Doda, Pawan Kotwal.
More than a promise, this card was meant to be a guarantee, but even eight months later, the card remains meaningless.
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