Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani named in panel on Agri & MNREGA

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is among the seven chief ministers who have been included in a committee that will make recommendations on a coordinated policy approach on the subject of 'Agriculture and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

The committee was announced at the fourth meeting of the NITI Aayog Governing Council in New Delhi on Sunday. The committee will be headed by Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and also comprise chief ministers of Bihar (Nitish Kumar), Sikkim (Pavan Chamling), UP (Yogi Adityanath), West Bengal (Mamata Banerjee) and Andhra Pradesh (N Chandrababu Naidu).

The committee will make recommendations for increasing farmers' income through agriculture related activities under MGNREGA before sowing and after harvesting.

The state government said in a release that it is committed to achieve the prime minister's goal of doubling farmers' income by 2022. It cited the example of the water conservation drive under which de-silting of river bodies was undertaken across the state during the month of May under MGNREGA.