New Delhi: Parliament today approved a bill
for naming UPA government's flagship rural job guarantee
scheme after Mahatma Gandhi.
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme launched in
2005 has emerged as one of the largest social safety nets
providing jobs to 4.51 crore rural households.
The programme, considered to have helped the UPA return to
power at the Centre, ensures 100-day job guarantee to one
member of each family on demand.
The National Rural Employment Guarantee (Amendment) Bill
2009, seeking to name the job scheme after Father of the
Nation, was passed by the Rajya Sabha by a voice vote. The
bill was approved by the Lok Sabha yesterday without
discussion.
While concerns on accountability and transparency were
raised by members, Minister for Rural Development C P Joshi
said, "We want to assure people of India we will implement
this Act according to the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi".
However, he sought to pass the buck to the states for
implementation of the scheme saying the grievance redressal
has to be done by them.
He said corruption charges have been blown out of
proportion. In a programme of Rs 40,000 crore, the complaints
about leakages relate to only Rs 7.3 crore.
Joshi and CPI-M member Brinda Karat who had earlier
clashed in the House, today again came close to it with Karat
asking "I don't know why the minister is being
confrontationist ... Is this the way you carry a discussion".
But the minister disagreed saying, "I am confronting".
They got into an arugment over payment under the scheme in
Left-ruled Kerala.
-PTI
First Published: Friday, December 18, 2009, 00:41