(a) Whether the Union Government proposes to formulate any urban employment scheme
for the urban poor on the lines of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme;
(b) if so, the details alongwith the salient features thereof; and
(c) if not, the measures/steps being taken by the Government to ensure employment
guarantee to the urban poor?
THE MINISTER OF HOUSING & URBAN POVERTY ALLEVIATION (KUMARI SELJA)
(a)to(c): No, Madam. The Scheme of Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) in
implementation from 1997 has been revamped recently in the year 2009. The livelihoods
conditions in urban areas are vastly different from those in rural areas.
In the urban areas what is perhaps more required is skill development of the urban poor
as well as facilitation of sustainable self-employment opportunities for them instead of
focusing on unskilled wage employment as is the case in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS). The recently revised guidelines of SJSRY lays
considerable focus on skill development of the urban poor to enhance their employability,
so as to enable them to take advantage of increasing job opportunities in the urban areas.