Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Underestimated utility: On rural jobs scheme fund crunch

Underestimated utility: On rural jobs scheme fund crunch

Lowered outlay for rural guarantee scheme has led to used up (प्रयोग करना, काम में लाना) allocation and wage delays

That as many as (ज्यादा से ज्यादा, पर्याप्त) 21 of 35 States/UTs have utilised (उपयोग करना), by October 29, over 100% of their allocated funds under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for FY2021-22 is not a surprise. In the previous year, the allocations for MGNREGS were increased by ₹50,000 crore to meet the demand for work, with the Revised Estimates (संशोधित अनुमान, संशोधित प्राक्कलन) for spending for the scheme going up to ₹1,11,500 crore. MGNREGS was a life-saver (जीवन रक्षक) for the poor, especially migrant (प्रवासी, औपनिवेशिक) labourers, following the sudden lockdown (an emergency protocol implemented by the authorities that prevents people from leaving from a place; An extended state of confinement/encirclement/isolation of a person by the authority) announced by the Union government. In this year’s Budget, the Finance Minister allocated ₹73,000 crore for the scheme, which was higher than the previous year’s absolute (पूर्ण, तय किया हुआ, कुल) number in Budget allocations, but this amounted only to 2.1% of the Budget expenditure (Amount of money allocated in the Budget to any ministry or scheme for the coming financial year), the lowest outlay (expenditure, expenses, spending) in those terms in the last six years. By October-end, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh had utilised more than 130% of their respective (संबंधित, संगत, प्रासंगिक) allocations for the scheme, indicating the extent (सीमा, प्रसार) to which rural workers depend on the scheme even in relatively (अपेक्षाकृत, तुलनात्मक रूप से, आनुपातिक रूप से) better-off (in a more desirable or advantageous position; rich, wealthy, affluent, well-to-do, opulent, well off) States. Clearly, the Union government has underestimated (कम आंका गया, कम आंकलन करना) the demand for work under the scheme, which even if it involves arduous (कठिन, दुष्कर) and menial (unskilled, low-grade, routine) labour has accounted for (के लिये उत्तरदयी होना, बनाना) a large chunk of (का हिस्सा, की एक महत्वपूर्ण राशि) rural employment at a time when the economy suffered a steep (sudden, sharp, rapid) contraction (In economics, it refers to a decline in national output as measured by gross domestic product) due to (because of, owing to, on account of, as a result of) the effects of the pandemic.

In response to a report, officials in the Rural Development Ministry accused States of “artificially (falsely)” creating demand, but this has not been borne out from ground reports (the report from the ground (a particular area/place where an activity/work really happens)) which continue to indicate rising demand for work and wages in rural India; civil society activists (a person who supports a political or societal change/cause) claim that some workers have been turned away (reject, dismiss, refuse; avert, turn aside) by officials despite the demand for work because of the paucity (insufficiency, deficiency, shortage) of funds. The Union Government must ensure that the allocation is adequate for wage payments to be done and for demand to be met in the remaining months of this financial year. The utility (उपयोगिता, लाभ) of MGNREGS as a scheme that alleviates (reduce, control, mitigate/moderate) distress (hardship, adversity, tribulation, misfortune, trouble) has never been in question. From acting as (operate, work, function, serve) an effective substitute in the absence of crop (a plant that is grown in large quantities) and weather insurance in aiding (help, assist, support) poor farm households and helping to provide wages during agrarian (relating to cultivating/farming) crises, to being an avenue (method, approach, course of action) for employment during the economic crisis induced (bring about, bring on, cause, produce) by the pandemic and the response, MGNREGS has turned out to be a salve for farm workers and labourers. Delays in wage payments could also result in (cause, bring on, bring about) a decline in rural consumption (the use of goods and services by households), which plays a vital (key, essential, important) role in stimulating (encourage, act as a fillip/impetus to, augment, strengthen, increase, galvanize) the economy. Besides the scheme’s utility in distress, it also has the potential (capability, capacity, ability, power), if works are upgraded suitably, to continue to improve rural development and infrastructure (the basic physical or organizational structure for something (to function properly)). The Union Government must consider this during allocations and not be conservative in its outlay or remain unmindful (careless of, disregardful of, regardless of, unheeding of, neglectful of, unconscious of) of the overall potential of the scheme.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.underestimated (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - कम आंका गया, कम आंकलन करना
English Meaning - underrated, undervalued.

2.utility (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उपयोगिता, लाभ
English Meaning - usefulness, use, advantage, benefit, value, helpfulness, service.

3.use up (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रयोग करना, काम में लाना
English Meaning - consume, exhaust, deplete, expend, spend, waste, fritter away, squander.

4.as many as (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - ज्यादा से ज्यादा, पर्याप्त
English Meaning - considerable, substantial, large (number of).

5.utilize (verb)

Hindi Meaning - उपयोग करना
English Meaning - make use of, put to use, use, avail oneself of.

6.Revised Estimates (RE) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संशोधित अनुमान, संशोधित प्राक्कलन
English Meaning - Revised Estimates are mid-year review of possible expenditure, taking into account the rest of expenditure, New Services and New instrument of Services etc.

7.life-saver (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जीवन रक्षक
English Meaning - something that supports a person during difficulty.

8.migrant (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रवासी, औपनिवेशिक
English Meaning - a person who moves from one region to another - either within a country or across national borders in order to find work or better living conditions.

9.absolute (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - पूर्ण, तय किया हुआ, कुल
English Meaning - decided, fixed; complete, total.

10.respective (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - संबंधित, संगत, प्रासंगिक
English Meaning - corresponding, relevant, specific.

11.extent (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सीमा, प्रसार
English Meaning - level, degree.

12.relatively (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - अपेक्षाकृत, तुलनात्मक रूप से, आनुपातिक रूप से
English Meaning - comparatively, proportionately, somewhat, to a certain extent/degree/level.

13.arduous (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - कठिन, दुष्कर
English Meaning - difficult, taxing, onerous, laborious, back-breaking.

14.account for (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - के लिये उत्तरदयी होना, बनाना
English Meaning - constitute, make up, comprise.

15.chunk of (noun)

Hindi Meaning - का हिस्सा, की एक महत्वपूर्ण राशि
English Meaning - a significant amount of.

16.Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act/Scheme (MGNREGA), 2005 (noun)

English Meaning - an Indian labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the ‘right to work’. It aims to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

17.cash/funds crunch (noun)

English Meaning - an acute shortage (or “drying up”) of cash/funds.

18.outlay (noun)

English Meaning - expenditure, expenses, spending.

19.lead to (verb)

English Meaning - result in, cause, bring on.

20.Budget Estimates (BE) (noun)

English Meaning - Amount of money allocated in the Budget to any ministry or scheme for the coming financial year.

21.lockdown (noun)

English Meaning - an emergency protocol implemented by the authorities that prevents people from leaving from a place; An extended state of confinement/encirclement/isolation of a person by the authority.

22.amount to (verb)

English Meaning - constitute, comprise, be equivalent to, approximate to, add up to.

23.better-off (adjective)

English Meaning - in a more desirable or advantageous position; rich, wealthy, affluent, well-to-do, opulent, well off.

24.underestimate (verb)

English Meaning - underrate, undervalue, play down.

25.menial (adjective)

English Meaning - unskilled, low-grade, routine.

26.steep (adjective)

English Meaning - sudden, sharp, rapid.

27.contraction (noun)

English Meaning - In economics, it refers to a decline in national output as measured by gross domestic product.

28.due to (phrase)

English Meaning - because of, owing to, on account of, as a result of.

29.pandemic (noun)

English Meaning - the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.

30.artificially (adverb)

English Meaning - falsely.

31.borne out past participle of bear out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - confirm, validate, vindicate, justify/support (a claim).

32.ground report (noun)

English Meaning - the report from the ground (a particular area/place where an activity/work really happens).

33.civil society (noun)

English Meaning - civil society refers to space for collective action around shared interests, purposes, and values, generally distinct from government and commercial for-profit actors. It refers to a wide array of organizations: community groups, non-governmental organizations [NGOs], labour unions, indigenous groups, charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations, and foundations. Civil society – sometimes called the “third sector” (after government and commerce) – has the power to influence the actions of elected policy-makers and businesses.

34.activist (noun)

English Meaning - a person who supports a political or societal change/cause.

35.turn away (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - reject, dismiss, refuse; avert, turn aside.

36.paucity (noun)

English Meaning - insufficiency, deficiency, shortage.

37.alleviate (verb)

English Meaning - reduce, control, mitigate/moderate.

38.distress (noun)

English Meaning - hardship, adversity, tribulation, misfortune, trouble.

39.in question (phrase)

English Meaning - at issue, being discussed, to be decided.

40.act as (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - operate, work, function, serve.

41.in the absence of (phrase)

English Meaning - without, lacking.

42.crop (noun)

English Meaning - a plant that is grown in large quantities.

43.weather insurance (noun)

English Meaning - an indemnity (financial security/production) for losses that may arise due to abnormal weather conditions. These abnormal weather conditions can be events such as excess or deficit in rainfall, or variations in temperature, wind speeds and humidity.

44.aid (verb)

English Meaning - help, assist, support.

45.household (noun)

English Meaning - family, house.

46.agrarian (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to cultivating/farming.

47.avenue (noun)

English Meaning - method, approach, course of action.

48.induce (verb)

English Meaning - bring about, bring on, cause, produce.

49.turn out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - transpire, happen, occur.