Union Budget 2022: Telangana Minister KTR Seeks Urban Job Guarantee Scheme On The Lines Of NREGS

In letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, KTR says there is a need for special schemes for the urban poor on housing, drinking water supply, health, education and social security.

Minister KT Rama Rao (Image:ABP Desam)

Hyderabad: Telangana's Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development KT Rama Rao has urged the central government to introduce a National Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme (NUEGS) in the upcoming Union Budget to assist the urban poor.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme should be used as a model (MGNREGS), he said, adding that it would help meet the growing urban population needs, particularly in terms of infrastructure services, and ensure higher income for the urban poor.

According to the 2011 Census, KT Rama Rao In a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman, 31 per cent Indians live in cities, and the number is expected to rise to 40 per cent by 2030. Some states, such as Telangana, are experiencing an even higher rate of urbanisation, with urban populations expected to reach 50 per cent in the near future, he said.

KTR said there was intense pressure on urban infrastructure as people from rural areas flocked to urban areas for better employment opportunities. He said there was a need to introduce special schemes for the urban poor on housing, drinking water supply, sanitation, health, education, social security and livelihood.

Construction workers, casual labourers, security personnel, delivery boys, and helpers are among the most common jobs held by the urban poor. Most of the time, they are given jobs on a daily basis with no guarantee of employment. The Covid-19 pandemic has things worse for the urban poor, particularly the migratnt labour who make up the majority of the urban poor and labour in the unorganised (informal) sector.

According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, the maximum unemployment rate between October 2019 and March 2021 was 21 per cent. KTR said it was imperative to introduce a special programme to help the urban poor in such situations.

(With inputs from ABP Desam — It is a Telugu platform of ABP News. For more news, commentary and latest happenings from two Telugu states, follow https://telugu.abplive.com/)