New Delhi: A bill to rechristen NREGA as
Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act will be moved in
the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament, a top official said
on Tuesday.
"Yes, we will move the Bill in the upcoming session of
Parliament," a top official of the Rural Development Ministry
said.
On October 1, Union Cabinet had cleared the proposal of
the Rural Development Ministry for naming National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act after Mahatma Gandhi.
An announcement in this regard was made by Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh the following day on the occasion of Gandhi
Jayanti.
The decision to rename NREGA came amid reports that
several opposition-ruled states have been claiming credit of
the Central scheme to derive political mileage.
However, while announcing the Cabinet decision, Singh had
said, "This is just a small effort from our side to offer him
(Mahatma Gandhi) tribute by naming the rural employment
guarantee Act after his name."
Launched by the UPA government in 2005 during its first
tenure, NREGA guarantees 100-day employment to rural adults.
The programme, aimed at alleviating poverty in rural
areas, was initially launched in 200 districts and later
extended to cover the entire country.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, October 27, 2009, 20:36