Employment scheme to go countrywide soon

Union minister of state for planning M V Rajashekharan said that the National Employment Guarantee Programme will soon be implemented in all the 560 districts of the country.

Speaking to reporters here, he said the scheme has already been implemented in 250 districts and it will be extended to remaining 310 districts soon.

The minister informed that 13.05 crore poor labours have already been provided employment under the Rs 45,000 crore scheme.

In Karnataka, the scheme in being implemented in Chitradurga, Davanagere, Bidar,Gulbarga and Raichur districts.

On according the classical language status to Kannada, Rajshekharan said that the Centre was committed to according the status but was waiting for a report from the experts' committee. The Centre will act soon after receiving the report.

Claiming that the Centre has released sufficient grants to Karnataka for drought relief works, Rajashekharan said that 2 lakh metric tonne of foodgrain had already been released to the state.

He decried the habit of the state government to blame the Centre all the time.