Ajmer, 13 March 2015 – The Philippine Embassy in New Delhi organized a study tour for a Philippine Congressional delegation who expressed their intention to learn from the Indian experience in implementing the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act of 2005.
The delegation was composed of Congressman Manuel Agyao (Lone District, Kalinga, Apayao) Chairman of the House Committee on Rural Development, Congresswoman Elisa Kho (2nd District, Masbate), Vice-Chairman of the House Committee on Rural Development, and Congressman George Arnaiz (2nd District, Negros Occidental).
Later renamed as the "Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act", its aim is to ensure livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. The delegation met with Joint Secretary Reddi Subhramaniyan of the Ministry of Rural Development who stated that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is one of the important schemes being implemented by the Indian government to achieve inclusive growth.
During the Congressional delegation’s visit to the Barefoot College in Ajmer, Rajasthan, which gained recent fame due to the participation of seven Filipinas who are now solar engineers, the delegation also met with Mrs. Aruna Roy, who spearheaded the drafting of this Act. Mrs. Roy shared that the fact that the community decides on the execution of the project empowers the people in the community. The projects have transparency as the community holds an accounting session that is attended by everyone who participated in the project, from trench-diggers to carpenters.
The Congressmen were also able to visit the Upper (Rajya Sabah) and Lower (Lok Sabha) Houses of Parliament and the members of the Filipino community in New Delhi.
