Help check leakages in NREGP: PM asks media

New Delhi, Oct 3 (UNI) Acknowledging that there are ''leakages and administrative inadequacies'' in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP), which is being extended to the entire country, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today asked the media to highlight them and guide its implementation.

''If implemented honestly and sincerely, the programme would increase the rural income and certainly we will be able to soften very considerably the harsh edges of extreme poverty,'' Dr Singh said in his address at the 66th Annual General Meeting of the Indian Language Newspapers Association (ILNA) here.

The media should be critical, but not cynical or negative, while pointing out the problems in the implementation of development programmes, he said.

Dr Singh had last week announced that NREGP would be extended to all the rural districts of the country following a request from a Congress delegation, including AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi.

He also asked the Indian language newspapers to address the concern of quality which was not keeping pace with the rising circulation.

''The quantitative growth we have witnessed in Indian media has outpaced qualitative growth,'' Dr Singh said.

This was understandable...etc etc picking up from para 3 of DI 14.

UNI