NREG to be revised soon to ensure due wages - Sahu

Bhubaneswar, May 25 (UNI) Union Labour and Employment Minister Chandra Sekhar Sahu today hinted that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREG), presently implemented in 200 districts in the country, will be revised soon to ensure due wage protection to the beneficiaries.

Briefing newsmen on the achievement of the UPA government at the Centre, Mr Sahu said he had come across some shortfalls in the scheme during his visit to six districts of Orissa.

Mr Sahu said he had drawn the attention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the shortfall in the scheme, adding soon the scheme would be revised to ensure that the beneficiary receive the adequate wage protection.

The Union Minister claimed that Orissa had got a good share of covering 16 districts under the scheme out of 200 districts identified in the country during the first phase.

He said the central fund would be available for the state to carry out various developmental projects. Mr Sahu, however, regretted that the state government had not been able to utilise the Central fund properly.

The Union Minister cited an example in his home district Gajapati, where, he said, Rs five crore, sanctioned for the ITDA project, was lying unutilised. The Gajapati District Collector, he said, even expressed inability to implement various projects worth over Rs 15 crore, sanctioned by him on the plea that he has no manpower to carry out the programmes.

Mr Sahu said even the Rs 130 crore, sanctioned to the state under the National Rural Health Mission, was lying unutilised as no programme under the project had started. The state government, he said, must have a will power to utilise the Central fund, earmarked for various developmental projects.

UNI DP SJC AKP1719