Tripura Urban Employment Programme(TUEP): An Overview

Amitabha SinhaTripura University

1. On 15th May 2009, Urban Development Department of Government

of Tripura launched TUEP by issuing a memorandum. In order to

provide employment opportunities in urban areas, TUEP was

introduced in Tripura in the urban areas. TUEP is modeled on

NREGA. However, there are certain differences also to suit ground

realities.

2. Some of the major features of the TUEP can be discussed briefly.

2(a) Procedure of application:

The urban households shall have to submit the names of their family

members, age and address with photographs to the Local Body. The

Local Bodies are Agartala Municipal Council and Nagar Panchayats.

The Urban Local Body will register BPL households after making field

verification and issue Job Cards. The Job Cards shall contains details of

adult members of the households and there photographs. The registered

persons shall submit written application for work to the Urban Local

Body.

(b) Wages:

Wage per day shall be the notified minimum wage which is now

Rs.100/-.

(c) Employment Days:

It has been decided to provide 50 days of employment in a year to one

adult member of each listed BPL family.

(d)Nodal Agency:

The Urban Local Body shall be the nodal agency for implementation of

schemes of different line departments which have specific projects.

(e) Type of Work:

Sl.No.

Type of Work

1. Garbage Collection and Disposal2. Clearing of Roads3. Roadside Jungle Clearance 4. Avenue Plantation5. Flood Protection Measures6. New Road- Brick Soiling7. Maintenance/ Beautification of Park, Play Ground, Water

Areas, Community Services etc.

8. Routine Main

The list is illustrative and not exhaustive.

F. Payment System:

Workers shall be paid wages through post office or bank account only.

While opening accounts preference will be given to post offices, Urban

Development Banks, Gramin Bank, State Co-operative Banks and other

nationalized Banks. Payment of wages will be made within 7 days of

work done.

G. Transparency Measures:

(i) Carefully preparing Job Register.

(ii) 100% verification of Muster Roll.

(iii) Using numbered Muster Roll to be issued by Implementing

Officer only.

(iv) Payment through Post office/Bank Accounts.

(v) Conducting social audit twice a year.

(vi) Complaint monitoring and grievance redresses.

(vii)Vigilance and Monitoring Committee at ULB level.

(viii)Gradual transition to computerized data bases within a time

frame with assistance from Director, IT and NIC.

H. Planning and Monitoring Mechanism:

(i) Each ULB shall form a cell with existing 2 Grade-C and 1 Grade-D

employees.

(ii)The Cell will be headed by the Chief Executive Officer/Executive

Officer.

(iii)At state level, there shall be a Monitoring Unit in the Urban

Development Department headed by the Director.

(iv)ULBs shall submit Utilization Certificate to Directorate of Urban

Development.

(3) Progress of Work:

The following table shows the distribution of Job Cards in the 16 Urban Areas of Tripura.Sl.No.

NAME OF THE AMC& NP

JOB CARDS ISSUED

FUND PLACED (Rs. In LAKHS)

MANDAYS

1 2 3 4 5

1 Agartala Municipal Council

21664 705.99 705.99

2 Dharmanagar 1531 130.26 130.263 Kailashar 1447 68.07 68.074 Kumarghat 1086 38.15 38.155 Kamalpur 1017 22.04 22.046 Khowai 1289 41.52 44.527 Teliamura 2305 63.47 63.478 Ranirbazar 1495 52.70 52.709 Sonamura 1774 31.15 31.1510 Udaipur 1899 57.80 57.8011 Amarpur 788 20.02 20.0212 Sabroom 848 39.46 39.4613 Belonia 1572 64.50 64.5014 Bishalgarh 1328 20.00 20.0015 Ambassa 876 29.00 29.00

16 Santibazar 1596 23.00 22045Total 42515 1407.43 454851

TUEP-Tripura Urban Employment Programme: A Case Study on Agartala Municipal Council, Ward No.33

Ward no. 33 is located in the extended area of Agartala Municipal

Council. The total geographical area of this ward is 4 sq. km. Total

population of this ward is about 11,495 and most of the population

belongs to scheduled castes and other backward communites. Among

1178 families only 204 families have the BPL card. Apart from those,

154 families are provided Antodaya and Annapurna Scheme.

In the annual conference of the Ward it was announced that 384

families are also getting allowance under social security scheme.

Moreover, there is a plan to bring 315 families under this social security

scheme. 160 families are covered under worker help scheme.

Educational infrastructure of this ward is good. There is one higher

secondary school, two junior basic schools, eleven Angan Wadi Centres

(AWC) and one Sarva Shiksha Centre (SSC). There is a good scope for

learning cultural activities. There is a town hall named Samar Chaudhuri

Memorial House (Bhavan), a Community Hall named Bankumari

community hall and Usha Ranjan Open Theater. There are four Fair

Price Shops to distribute the essential commodities among the people.

There is a 5 member committee to supervise the activities of these Fair

Price Shops. There is one health centre and one sub centre to provide

medical care.

Three (3) deep tube wells, 8 tube wells, 3 sanitary wells, 3 Mark-IIs

and 1 Mark-I tube well are there as sources of drinking water. Pure

water is supplied through 45 pipe lines in this locality. The ward is

advanced in terms of consumption of electricity. Around 98% area of the

locality comes under electricity service. Under Kutir Jyoti Scheme, 105

families are covered. Seventy additional families are proposed to bring

under this scheme. To provide street light facility, electric line

installation work has been completed upto 5 km. Three (3) km. electric

extension is also sanctioned. Fifty five (55) sodium vapour lamps, 5 tube

lights and 254 CFL bulbs have been provided for purposes of street

lighting.

Under the TUEP Scheme, 1,095 families have been provided Job

Card. Through this scheme huge numbers of fixed assets have been

created through the money sanctioned under the scheme. More over a

number of roads have been constructed in this ward under other schemes

and old roads are also repaired. Mud drains are converted into pucca

drains. Most of the government offices are now pucca buildings. In the

last financial year total expenditures under TUEP scheme was Rs. 31,

02,453. 12,751 working days have been created under this scheme. All

together it can be said that development works are on progress.