New Delhi: Senior Supreme Court Judge Ajit Pasayat Thursday said that even the semblance of a job guarantee for the rural poor could help in keeping the youth away from crime and terrorism.

"Unemployed youth get lured into crime and they are also potential (target) to be lured by anti-social groups, including terrorist groups," Pasayat said, praising the legal guarantee of at least 100 days of employment per year for every rural household.

"If they get employment guarantees in line with the objectives of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, there will be less scope for getting into such activities," he said, at the inaugural function of the national level interaction on implementation of the act.

The function was also attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who sought greater involvement of the judiciary and legal fraternity for success of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government's flagship scheme for the rural poor.

Seeking greater involvement of the judiciary in the scheme, the prime minister cast a duty on the judiciary and the legal fraternity to educate the illiterate rural poor of their legal right to get at least 100 days of employment per year for every rural household.

The function was also attended by Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan, who in his opening remarks, praised the scheme that is intended to tackle poverty.

The chief justice, however, rued that the aims of the job scheme have only been "partially fulfilled" due to problems like corruption and lack of transparency in maintenance of muster rolls and records.

Indo-Asian News Service

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