India to roll out job plan for rural poor
Reuters, Shivri, India
India is launching a massive job guarantee scheme to support millions of rural poor which economists say could strain federal finances and send billions of dollars down a black hole of corruption.The plan guarantees 100 days of work a year to one member of every poor rural family across the country, which has an estimated rural population of 600 million. Villagers will be employed on water, soil conservation and road projects in an effort to stop the jobless migrating to overcrowded cities. Approved in parliament last week, the national plan is modelled on one launched in the western state of Maharashtra in 1972 when a drought-induced famine gripped the region. For the poor of Maharashtra, the plan has helped them tide over difficult periods, but experts say corrupt politicians and officials have also benefited.
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