The scheme, which is similar to MGNREGS, is an employment-of-last-resort programme in order to provide minimum livelihood security to the poorest of the poor in the urban areas in absence of enough employment opportunity in the economy.
In the midst of increasing unemployment in the country, along with Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for the rural poor, the state government of Kerala has an interesting employment-of-last-resort programme for the urban poor as well – Ayyankali Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme (AUEGS). Just like MGNREGS, this is also a demand driven programme – the scheme is implemented by the Directorate of Urban Affairs, Government of Kerala.
The website says, “AUEGS aims at enhancing the livelihood security of people in urban areas by guaranteeing 100 days of wage-employment in a year to an urban household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. This also aims to provide a strong, right-based social safety net for the people in the urban areas of Kerala by giving a fall-back employment source, when other employment alternatives are scarce or inadequate.
There are lot of limitations vis-à-vis the design and implementation of the scheme, however, the scheme is in place in order to provide minimum livelihood security to the poorest of the poor in the urban areas in absence of enough employment opportunity in the economy. By urban areas it does not only mean the cities but, the urban areas would include all municipality and corporation areas. Since, MGNREGS is implemented through Gram Panchayats only, all areas outside the Panchayat areas come under the coverage of the AUEGS scheme in Kerala.
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