Govt unlikely to cut scope of rural job scheme

In a major shift of stand, newly appointed Union minister for rural development, drinking water and sanitation, Birender Singh on Tuesday gave a firm indication that the government might not limit the spread of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to only 200 districts

The current nationwide coverage of all 600 districts might continue."We are trying to remove the defects in MGNREGA. It is a fact that the Act has helped poor people. It is also a true that the Rs 40,000-crore budget for the Act is not just for a few districts," Singh said, while talking to reporters after taking charge.

Singh's comments come weeks after 30-odd economists and others wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to not dilute the provisions of the Act. The ministry of rural development under Singh's predecessor, Nitin Gadkari had initiated some steps to tweak the Act to make it more effective and focus it on vulnerable areas.

However, the move has been opposed by a section of the intelligentsia. Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar recently wrote a letter to the Prime Minister not to dilute the provisions of the Act.

Gadkari had said the MGNREGA guaranteeing up to 100 days of unskilled work in a year to every rural household was not required in areas having higher growth. Launched in 2005, MGNREGA has been an important source of income for millions of rural households. Meanwhile, on the Land Acquisition Bill, Birender Singh said he would strive to bring about a consensus among all stakeholders including political parties on the Bill.

"We are not against industrialisation but it needs to seen what type of land is being acquired for industrial purposes. We will take any decision giving maximum weight to the farmers," Singh said.

The Land Acquisition Bill, passed by the UPA government, had become a bone-of-contention between industries and the government because of its stringent provisions of acquisition.

However, the NDA government had held a meeting with state ministers soon after taking charge. Following the meeting, a series of changes, including doing away with the mandatory 70 consent clause, is being mulled.

On the Prime Minister's ambitious Swatch Bharat Abhiyan, Singh said the target of having a clean India is achievable by 2019, but it should be seen that momentum continues.