Rajasthan's remaining 20 districts may come under NREGS

Jaipur, Sep 24 (UNI) Union Minister for Rural Development Raghuvansh Prasad Singh has given in principle approval for the inclusion of the remaining 20 districts of Rajasthan under the National Rural Employment Gurantee Scheme(NREGP).

The minister, while speaking to newspersons after reviewing the centrally sponsored schemes here today expressed satisfaction over their implementation in the state.

Dr Prasad said the Centre accords special emphasis on providing safe drinking water and sanitation in Rajasthan as the state is lagging behind in these two areas.

He said a project has been underway to train five people in each fluoride-affected village under the flouride control programme and emphasised the goal of safe drinking water in all the villages by 2009.

He said under the sanitation programe each bloc headquarters has been included under the Nirmal Gram Yogana.

Earlier in the day, addressing the officials during a two-day performamce review committee meeting here, the minister urged the states to record significant higher achievements in the implementation of the centrally sponsored schmes for rural development perticularly the NREGS, the flagship programme for freeing villages from the scorge of endemic unemployment.

Dr Prasad said the scheme is intended to unleash the capacity of rural India to create durable community assests and catch up with the nation's march towards progress.

UNI