50 more days under MNREGA for ST households in forest areas

The Centre today said it has decided to provide an additional 50 days of wage employment beyond the stipulated 100 days under MNREGA for ST households in forest areas.
Those tribals who have received land rights under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 will be eligible for additional 50 days of wage employment under the rural job scheme, it said.
"Around 14 lakh individual and community titles have been distributed under FRA 2006. Of these around 8 lakh individual titles have been given in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa. It is these individuals who will be able to claim the benefit of 150 days," Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said.

He termed this as an important initiative since a lot of land levelling, plantation and other activities are required to be undertaken on these lands to make them more productive.
"The additional persondays through MNREGA will allow the households to undertake additional work on their own land," he said.
This is one among the several initiatives taken by the Rural Development Ministry for the uplift of the tribals.
The Ministry has already made FRA beneficiaries automatically included for assistance under its housing scheme -- Indira Awaas Yojana.
So far 5.76 lakh households in the states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh have been sanctioned such assistance.