‘NREGA Akhar’: Jaipur’s Literacy Campaign Empowering Thousands of Workers

Jaipur, Sept 2025 : Inspired by Chief Minister Shri Bhajanlal Sharma, the ‘NREGA Akhar’ campaign operated by Jaipur District Administration is proving to be a milestone in the direction of empowerment through education. Under the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA scheme, NREGA Akhar has worked to bring the light of education into the lives of illiterate workers. With the initiative of Jaipur District Administration, started with the joint efforts of the Rural Development Department, Literacy and Continuing Education Department and Elementary Education Department, the innovative ‘NREGA Akhar’ campaign is proving not only to be literacy but also a movement of empowerment, through which workers have become not only self-reliant but also carriers of social change.

Chief Executive Officer of Zila Parishad, Smt. Pratibha Verma, informed that under the direction of District Collector Dr. Jitendra Kumar Soni, out of the total 2,14,907 MGNREGA workers working in Jaipur, 46,791 workers were found illiterate after the survey. Under the NREGA Akhar campaign, till now 3,866 trained mates and personnel in Jaipur district have succeeded in registering 45,840 MGNREGA workers on the Ullas portal and making 41,805 workers sign, 35,713 workers acquire general literacy, and 27,611 workers acquire basic numerical knowledge.

She informed that the success of the NREGA Akhar campaign can be gauged from the fact that more than 30 thousand MGNREGA workers participated with enthusiasm, zeal and joy in the Basic Literacy and Numerical Assessment Test organized on Sunday.

NREGA worksites are now not only places of wages, but they are now emerging as centers of knowledge and empowerment. With the initiative of Jaipur District Administration, the condition and direction of the lives of hundreds of rural workers is seen changing. This campaign not only teaches literacy, but also provides confidence, understanding of rights, and strength to walk step by step in the era of technology.

Under the NREGA scheme, through women mates, this plan to empower illiterate workers through education and awareness in rural areas has been started with the coordination of Rural Development Department, Literacy and Continuing Education Department and Elementary Education Department. Now after sweating throughout the day at NREGA worksites in villages, workers are sitting in rows and starting with Ka, Kha, Ga.

This scene of the movement of Akhar’s flame is no less than a revolution. There is a shine of confidence in the eyes of women, and a smile of hope on the faces of men. The purpose of ‘NREGA Akhar’ is to develop NREGA worksites not only as places of wages, but as centers of knowledge and self-strength. Under the campaign, these workers will not only be taught reading and writing, but also given information about banking, understanding of government schemes, and safe use of digital technology like mobile phones. A six-month action plan has been prepared for the campaign.

Trained master trainers have provided training to other women mates and workers at the gram panchayat level. In this way, through a chain of trainers, the lamp of literacy is being carried to village after village. Under NREGA Akhar, the Sub-Divisional Officer in each block is inspecting two worksites every week and reviewing the progress of the campaign weekly. Block-level nodal officers are also visiting four worksites every week and submitting progress reports to the district nodal officer. The Chief Executive Officer of Zila Parishad Jaipur has been made the district-level nodal in-charge of this campaign.

For the NREGA Akhar campaign, which started on the day of Guru Purnima, an effective action plan was prepared by the District Administration. Under this, preparation of a list of active workers, preparation of a list of illiterate NREGA workers, organizing training programs at block level to prepare trainer teams for each gram panchayat and train women mates, teaching illiterate NREGA workers working at worksites to sign, in basic literacy teaching reading, writing, counting, in financial literacy providing knowledge about banking, account operation, ATM, UPI, connection with government schemes, and in digital literacy providing information about safe use of mobile phones, apps, security of OTP, password, online government services and other schemes.

In the next phase of the campaign, workshops will be organized at each NREGA worksite for financial-banking courses. After completing all these phases, the assessment test is being organized. If any worker fails in this test, after going through the training round again, he will have to give the test again. On passing the assessment test, NREGA workers will be issued certificates.

‘NREGA Akhar’ is not only a medium of literacy, it is the beginning of social change. Workers who were living their lives in the darkness of illiteracy will now not only learn to read and write, but also become aware of their rights, responsibilities and opportunities and take steps towards a better future. This initiative will not only give NREGA a new identity, but also prove to be a concrete step in the direction of village development.