NREGA relaunch on Rajiv’s birthday

Other social sector ministries have already spelt out their 100-day plans, but the rural development ministry, the pampered child of the UPA government, will reveal its cards only on August 20, former PM the late Rajiv Gandhi’s birth anniversary. The new, improved version of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) will be announced on the day.

Top sources in the planning commission and the ministry confirmed that the scope of NREGA will be expanded to include small and marginal farmers. “Earlier, works under the scheme were restricted to asset creation such as reservoirs and check dams. But now there will be freedom to take up projects from other ministries, such as water resources, agriculture, environment and forests, as well,” an official said.

Even the nature of work will change, with the skill level going up. “Fisheries, dairy farming and carpentry are some of the skills that will be encouraged,” he said, adding, “The changes will be finalised at a planning commission meeting on July 16.” With a budget of Rs 39,080 crore, sky is the limit for NREGA.

Ambitious targets have been set for other programmes as well. The ministry says it will finalise the BPL census for 2009, build additional 45,000 km of rural roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and construct 120 lakh houses in the next five years under the Indira Awas Yojana.