Prasad lauds MP rural development

Bhopal, July 11 (UNI) Appreciating the work done by the Madhya Pradesh Government for rural development, Union Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh today announced to provide Rs 300 crore under the Pradhanmantri Gramin Sadak Yojna.

''As per an estimate by the Centre, Madhya Pradesh leads other states in the country in implementation of the Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (REGS) and the Pradhanmantri Gramin Sadak Yojna (PMGSY),'' said Dr Singh, while expressing satisfaction over the quality of roads built in the state.

The Centre had sanctioned construction of 5,562 roads with an approximate length of 26,500 km under the PMGSY of which construction of 2,271 roads with an approximate length of 10,529 km had been completed at a cost of Rs 2,066 crore.

He assured states of adequate finances for achieving the target of 'Bharat Nirman' but expected maintenance of quality standards and speeding up of construction work.

Expressing satisfaction over implementation of REGS in Madhya Pradesh, Mr Singh said more districts would be included under the scheme in the second phase. The state government has claimed that the implementation of the scheme has helped in preventing migration of villagers.

The Minister denied that the Centre had received complaints regarding guaranteed minimum wages. Besides, state governments had the authority to decide minimum wage -- which differed in different village.

Regarding less allocation to the state for making it fluoride-free and for Indira Awas Yojna, he said the Centre did not discriminate with states. Discrepancies were rectified after being pointed out.

UNI AG-PS 1843