An inDiAn Civil sErvAnt, sm rAju, hAs ComE up with A nEw wAy oF proviDing EmploymEnt For millions oF poor pEoplE inBihAr. his CAmpAign to EnCourAgE pEoplE to plAnt trEEs EFFECtivEly ADDrEssEs two Burning issuEs oF thE worlD: gloBAl wArming AnD shrinking joB opportunitiEs.
mr rAju’ s suCCEss CoulD ClEArly BE sEEn on 30August, 2009 whEn hE orgAnizED 300,000 villAgErs From ovEr 7,500 villAgEs in northErnBihAr to EngAgE in A mAss trEE plAnting CErEmony.
mr rAju hAs linkED his "soCiAl ForEstry" progrAm to thE CEntrAl govErnmEnt’ s nAtionAl rurAlEmploymEnt guArAntEEACt (nrEgA、, whiCh is Also DEsignED to proviDE EmploymEnt For poor pEoplE. unDEr nrEg
A、-- stArtED in FEBruAry 2006 As thE govErnmEnt’ s most AmBitious EmploymEnt gEnErAtion sChEmE For poor pEoplE -- thE AuthoritiEs ArE BounD By lAw to proviDE A minimum oF 100 DAys oF EmploymEnt A yEAr For mEmBErs oF FAmiliEs living BElow thE povErty linE.ABout 44% oFBihAr’ s populAtion FAll into this CAtEgory.
mr rAju sAys thAtBihAr -- BEing thE poorEst AnD most lAwlEss stAtE oF inDiA -- hAsn’t BEEn ABlE to spEnD thE AlloCAtED (分配的) nrEg
A、FunDs. "this is BECAusE oF A lACk oF AwArEnEss Among oFFiCiAls ABout thE sChEmE," hE sAiD、"so thE iDEA struCk to my minD: why not involvE FAmiliEs BElow thE povErty linE in soCiAl ForEstry AnD givE thEm EmploymEnt unDEr this sChEmE For 100 DAys unDEr thE sChEmE, EACh FAmily CAn EArn A minimum oF 10,200 rupEEs ($210)."
thE Civil sErvAnt immEDiAtEly mADE A plAn oF his iDE
A、in junE, mr rAju puBlishED A BooklEt oF "Dos AnD Don’ ts" AnD DistriButED it to villAgE hEADs. his plAn mEAnt thAt nrEg
A、FunDs wErE Fully usED -- in thE pAst this hAsn’ t AlwAys BEEn thE CAsE.
"i tolD thE villAgErs thEy woulD gEt 100 DAys EmploymEnt in A yEAr simply By plAnting trEEs AnD protECting thEm. thE olD AnD DisABlED woulD BE givEn prEFErEnCE," hE ExplAinED、
EvEry villAgE CounCil hAs now BEEn givEn A tArgEt oF plAnting 50,000 sAplings -- A group oF Four FAmiliEs hAvE to plAnt 200 trEEs AnD thEy must protECt thEm For thrEE yEArs till thE plAnts grow strongEr.
"thEy woulD gEt thE Full pAymEnt iF thEy CAn EnsurE thE survivAl oF 90% oF thE plAnts unDEr thEir CArE. For A 75-80% survivAl rAtE, thEy’ ll BE pAiD only hAlF thE wAgE. For lEss thAn 75%, thE FAmiliEs in thE group will BE rEplACED," thE guiDElinEs sAy.
signiFiCAntly, his sChEmE hAs EvEn stoppED thE migrAtion oF poor lABourErs From thE ArEA in sEArCh oF EmploymEnt ElsEwhErE.
wE CAn inFEr From thE pAssAgE thAt
A、most pEoplE inBihAr will BEnEFit From nrEgA
B、thE olD AnD DisABlED pEoplE ArE not involvED in trEE plAnting
C、FAmiliEs who CAn’t EnsurE 75% survivAl rAtE oF thE trEEs will not BE pAiD
D、rAju’ s nEw’plAn will rEDuCEBihAr’ s populAtion BElow thE povErty linE