Thread by @working_india

Announcing the first piece from "election special" State of Working India 2019. A policy paper on a National Urban Employment Guarantee scheme. To be published tomorrow at cse.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in
Executive Summary follows.

Strengthening Towns through Sustainable Employment:
A Job Guarantee Programme for Urban India
by
Amit Basole, Mathew Idiculla, Rajendran Narayanan, Harini Nagendra, and Seema Mundoli

1/10 Proposal addresses-
Underemployment and low wages in informal urban workforce
Migration to large cities
Poor quality of urban infrastructure and services
Ecological degradation of urban spaces
Shortage of human and financial capacities of ULBs
Lack of skills among educated

2/10 Between 30 to 50 million workers in India’s small towns will be eligible for employment. Total estimated budget ranges from 1.7 to 2.7 per cent of GDP depending on whether employment is guaranteed to one adult from every household or every adult resident.

3/10 Proposes legal basis in form of a National Urban Employment Guarantee Act which provides a statutory right to employment at specified wage rates and number of days. Draws on some principles of MGNREGA, but has a broader scope as it deals with varied forms of employment.

4/10 Applicable for all cities and towns with a population less than 1 Million (10 lakhs). It covers about 4000 Urban Local Bodies accounting for about 50 per cent of the urban population as per the 2011 census.

5/10 Proposes large variety of works requiring a range of education/skills. Category 1, informal sector workers: Standard public works, as well as creation, rejuvenation, monitoring of ecological commons, provisioning of care for children, elderly: 100 days of work at ₹500/day.

6/10 Category 2, higher educated: 150 contiguous days of training and apprenticeship at stipend of ₹13,000 per month. Apprenticeships in municipal offices, public schools, and health centres. Monitoring, surveying, evaluation of urban environment and public goods.

7/10 Programme can promote sustainable development of Indian cities and build basic urban infrastructure and services. It will further create local demand, spur local entrepreneurship, restore urban commons, build skills, address open unemployment and raise wages.

8/10 Relevant ULB, such as Nagar Panchayat, Municipal Council, or Municipal Corporation is principal authority responsible. Identifies projects, prepares annual works plans and implements in a participatory manner by involving ward committees and ward sabhas.

9/10 Proactive transparency and accountability structures such as mandatory periodic social audits and public hearing through a designated independent unit, as well as a mandatory grievance redressal architecture.

10/10 Programme can strengthen small towns by providing urban residents legal right to employment, improving quality of urban infrastructure and services, restoring urban commons and ecology, skilling youth, and increasing the financial and human capacity of Urban Local Bodies.