TN allocates Rs 1,963 crore for NREG

The Tamil Nadu government has allocated Rs 1,963 crore for the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) for 2009-10 as compared to Rs 1,722 crore, a year ago an increase of 13 per cent compared to the last year. The government is also planning to hike the minimum wages by Rs 20 and number of working days by 50.

After announcing the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department for the year 2009-10 in the state assembly on Monday Tamil Nadu's Deputy Chief Minister MK Stalin said the state has increased the budget allocation for the scheme to Rs 1,963 crore from Rs 1,722 crore in 2008-09.

The government is also making efforts to increase the number of workdays from 100 to 150 and proposed to hike the minimum wages for beneficiaries to Rs 100 from Rs Rs 80, which was fixed in 2002. The state will make the changes in accordance with the Minimum Wages Act, he added.

To help redress grievances in the scheme, a new helpline will be introduced this year wherein complaints can be made with district collectors, he said.

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA, also known as National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, NREGS), was UPA Government's flagship programme that guarantees 100 days of work for beneficiaries in rural areas. It was enacted in Indian legislation on August 25, 2005.

The NREGA provides a legal guarantee for 100 hundred days of employment in every financial year to adult members of any rural household willing to do public work-related unskilled manual work at the statutory minimum wage.

This act was introduced with an aim of improving the purchasing power of the rural people, primarily semi or un-skilled work to people living below poverty line in rural India.