UID will usher in sea change -- empower NREGA women

NEW DELHI: The Unique Identity Number may prove a potent instrument of gender and labour empowerment, with NREGA proving the first stop.
The presence of verifiable identity with individuals under the job scheme is set to shift the Act's focus from household to individuals. The first change may be through the opening of personal accounts for women workers for payment of wages under the Act.NREGA wages are compulsorily made through banks.
As the Act promises 100 days' work for every rural household, the bank accounts are in the name of the family which may be dividing the available working days amongst its members.
There is a complaint that wages deposited in a bank account collectively for a household are monopolized by the head of the family, the man.
With the advent of UID with biometrics of every individual, rural development minister CP Joshi said, "Individual members would get wages for the days they work, in place of collective payment for households as is done now. It will mean women would have separate accounts. This is a natural corollary of UID."
Joshi, speaking to civil society members at the release of a report on NREGA on Wednesday, faced complaints that joint payments were marginalizing women. The issue is serious as women workers are outnumbering men under NREGA. The function was organized by Planning Commission member Mihir Shah where UID chief Nandan Nilekani was a key speaker.
RD ministry is also looking at UID to settle the problem of delayed payments plaguing NREGA by making advance payments.
Joshi feels as workers start getting UIDs, they can be made payments for a certain number of days after they report for work in the beginning. "What is the problem in making 60% advance payment," he asked.
While Joshi said the government would place trust in workers to put in labour for the days he is paid in advance, the fact is that UIDs would make it impossible for him to escape.
The absence of banks in rural areas is leading to delayed payments, which in turn is discouraging poor from NREGA as they depend on daily payments to meet their needs.