New Delhi: A strong demand to suspend rural job guarantee scheme MNREGA during peak agriculture season was made in the Rajya Sabha Wednesday with some members contending that the programme has led to labour shortage in farm sector.

Participating in a short duration discussion on agrarian crisis, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu and Ram Gopal Yadav (SP) said the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme has led to scarcity of farm labour. "MNREGA, during peak agriculture season, has resulted in labour problems and its implementation should be stopped during that period," Naidu said.
Noting that the scheme is misused, Yadav said labourers are asked to sign payment vouchers for Rs 120 a day whereas they are paid Rs 40 a day but without doing any work.
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has sent a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh suggesting that at least three months in a year should be considered an off-duration for MNREGA so that farm labourers are available for agricultural operations. However, the Rural Development Ministry was opposed to the idea.
MNREGA provides a legal guarantee for 100 days of employment in every financial year to adult members of any rural household willing to do public work-related unskilled manual work at the statutory minimum wage of 120 per day. PTI