Govt sets up CM's group to coordinate policy for farm sector, MGNREGS

CMs of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Sikkim along with NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand are members of the subgroup with MP CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan as convenor

The government on Tuesday said it has constituted a chief ministers' sub-group to coordinate policy approaches for agriculture and MGNREGS with the Madhya Pradesh CM Shiv Raj Singh Chauhan as the convener.

Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Sikkim along with NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand are the members of the subgroup, an official statement said.

The move comes against the backdrop of the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards doubling farmers' income by 2022 which requires a multi-dimensional and inclusive approach, it added.

At the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog on Sunday, approaches with special emphasis on pre-sowing and post-harvest interventions using MGNREGS were sought for creating durable assets that double incomes of farmers and reduce agrarian distress.

According to the statement, the terms of reference of the sub-group include suggesting a wider choice of state-specific interventions both for pre-sowing and post-harvest to further improve the thrust on incomes, water conservation and waste to wealth.

Other terms of reference include making recommendations on interventions of MGNREGS that can facilitate reduction of agrarian distress including work availability, wage rates and seasonality as also to explore the possibilities of MGNREGS as a livelihood resource for development and diversification of income of small and marginal farmers specially belonging to SC/ST households.

The statement further said sub-group will submit its report within three months from its date of constitution.

The first meeting of the sub-group is expected to be held within the next month, as per the convenience of the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, it added.