Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Farm employment scheme blunted

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An employment and pension scheme launched 14 years ago for attracting the youth to farming and allied sectors has missed the target and is likely to end up as a major financial burden to the government.

The Department of Agriculture launched the scheme in 1994 to lure one lakh youngsters to agriculture and allied sectors by offering a regular job and stable income so that they can make it a profession. It was proposed to enrol the youth in 990 grama panchayats. Each panchayat had to select 100 youths who had an aptitude for agriculture and their landholdings were to be utilised for making novel experiments.

Other than cultivation, they could take up animal husbandry, beekeeping, floriculture, sericulture, procurement, processing and marketing of agricultural produce and a variety of other sectors. Initially, it was suggested that each beneficiary should own or have in possession at least 50 cents of land. This was relaxed to five cents.

Each beneficiary had to pay Rs. 1,100 at the Krishi Bhavan, of which Rs. 1,000 was for forming a corpus and Rs. 100 for registration. As many as 10 per cent of the beneficiaries were to be those belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes and their registration expenses were to be met from the Tribal Sub-Plan funds. Initially, the minimum age limit was fixed at 22 and the maximum at 30. Since the scheme failed to evoke a positive response, the government relaxed the norms. The extent of land was brought down from 50 to five cents and the age limit from 22 to 20. The age limit was fixed at 40 for the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe people.

A State-level committee, chaired by the Agriculture Minister, as well as district- and panchayat-level committees were formed for monitoring the implementation of the scheme. It was proposed to train the beneficiaries, and the banks were directed to accord priority in extending credit to them. The scheme envisaged a monthly pension of Rs.1,000 for the beneficiaries and a gratuity depending on their seniority in joining the scheme. A nominee of the beneficiary would get Rs.1 lakh on his death. Passbooks were issued to the beneficiaries. But a majority of them have taken up other jobs, but have not reported it to the government.

The dilution of norms on the extent of land as well as age went against the idea of attracting youngsters to the profession.

Most panchayats have failed to keep track of the scheme and maintain records. The scheme has become a burden for the government and public funds will have to be channelled for paying pension and gratuity, sources said.

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