For the first time in Gujarat, a cooperative of bonded landless labourers in Bharuch district, under the banner of Janshakti Parishad, have been issued job cards under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).

Around 3,000 such labourers from the Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL) families from nine villages of Jambusar taluka have started work under the scheme.

More than 50 per cent of the work force in the district is engaged in agricultural labour work. These labourers often borrow money from farmers with large land holdings or money lenders.

However, the inability to repay the debt draws them into the perpetual cycle of borrowing and bondage.

“In 1978, the region had 20,000 such families working as bonded labourers. At present, their number stands at 8,000. All these people are Rathods, Vasavas and Scheduled Tribes,” said Rajesh Shah of Vikas, an NGO.

Vikas works for the benefit of bonded labourers, and recently facilitated the process of initiating NREGS activities in the villages of the region following talks with the collector and the district development officer of Bharuch.

To bring an end to the borrowing cycle, Vikas supported these labourers to form a cooperative, and approached the district development officer for work.

Dr Rajendra Kumar, the DDO of Bharuch said: “Though they have come as a co-operative, they have been individually issued job cards. The payments are also made individually.”

Sources said the entire work, including the payment of wages, time-keeping and other documentation were outsourced to Vikas.

The DDO, however, denied this. He said it is not outsourcing, but rather that the volunteers of the organisation have been asked to be supervisors.

On being asked if it is feasible under the scheme to ask a third party to keep the time records and make payments, Dr Kumar said: “There is a provision under NREGS where we can keep project supervisors. They can be anyone. We have appointed these supervisors from Vikas. There is nothing wrong in doing it.”

He added: “All work under NREGS is approved by the gram sabhas. The DDO has further asked the voluntary organisation to identify the work, which can be done under NREGS.”

Shah said: “The cooperatives have developed 450 acres of land and 75 acres of water bodies. They want further development of these wastelands to improve more area through land and water development activities.”