K T Rama Rao demands MGNREGA-like job guarantee scheme for urban poor

Telangana minister and BRS working president K T Rama Rao demanded an MGNREGA-like job guarantee scheme for the urban poor in his meeting with Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri here on Saturday.

Rao said the central government should announce such a scheme in the next budget to safeguard the interests of the urban poor, especially to protect their livelihoods and raise income.

"I am of the firm view that meeting the needs of India's rising urban population is and will continue to be a critical strategic policy matter for all the national, states and city governments...," he said in a representation to the central government.

"I would like to request the minister to consider introducing a National Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme (NUEGS) on the lines of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to help the urban poor in the country," he added.

With the support of such an employment guarantee scheme, the state government can provide job cards to the urban poor and take their services in city-level green action plan and in basic infra works such as laying pavements, Rao said.

Among other key demands, Rao sought early approval for Hyderabad Metro Rail project works of Phase-II (B) and extension of corridor-3 of phase-I from Nagole to LB Nagar, Rs 800 crore fund support for the construction of "missing link roads", and Rs 400 crore fund under the Swachh Bharat Mission for implementation of a solid waste management project in Greater Hyderabad.

In the meeting, Rao also sought approval for the mass rapid transit system project in Hyderabad, 20 per cent funding for sewer network infrastructure for liquid waste collection in Hyderabad and the initial seed funding of Rs 100 crore for setting up a sanitation hub in the state.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MPs G Ranjith Reddy and Kotha Prabhakar Reddy were also present in the meeting.

Rao, the son of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was on a two-day visit to the national capital to meet central ministers to discuss various issues pertaining to the southern state.