Govt may find more work for people in drought-hit areas

The government will provide more than 100 days of jobs guaranteed to people in villages under its flagship NREGA scheme to help mitigate any suffering caused by the drought, according to Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.

New Delhi: The government will provide more
than 100 days of jobs guaranteed to people in villages under
its flagship NREGA scheme to help mitigate any suffering
caused by the drought, according to Agriculture Minister
Sharad Pawar.

"...there is a thinking in the government (that) those
districts, which have been declared by the respective state
governments as drought-affected, there 100 days time for NREGA
will be extended," he told in an interview to a private news channel.

Asked if the period of compulsory job can be extended to
200 days a year, Pawar said: "That particular decision is not
there, but the proposal (for extension from 100 days) is very
much there."

Earlier last week, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee,
however, ruled out the possibility of raising the guarantee
period under NREGA for the time being, saying it could be
considered if required.

"Whether it will be adequate for 100 days or not, these
are issues we can surely revisit as and when the situation
demands. But the government need not just go and fix a target
of 150, 160 or 180 days and at the end of the year find no
takers," he had said, addressing a meeting of agriculture
ministers from different states here.

So far, 246 of 600-plus districts in the country have
been declared drought hit.

Bureau Report

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