Mention some anti-poverty programmes undertaken by the government.
Answer:
- The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was passed in September 2005. The act provides 100 days assured employment every year, to every rural household, in 200 districts.
- The central government will also establish National Employment Guarantee Funds. Similarly, state governments will establish State Employment Guarantee Funds for implementation of the scheme.
- Under the programme, if an applicant is not provided employment within 15 days he or she will be entitled to a daily unemployment allowance.
- Another scheme is the National Food for Work Programme (NFWP) which was launched in 2004, in 150 most backward districts of the country. The programme is open to all rural people who are in need of wage employment and desire to do manual unskilled work. Under this scheme, foodgrains are provided free of cost to the states.