(Repeating CR 1 after rephrasing the first para)

Guwahati, Aug 10 (UNI) After seven districts were brought under the purview of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) to generate employment for unskilled workers, Asom government has decided to cover rest of the districts in the next four years.

Addressing the technical session of Public Information Campaign organized by the PIB here state Joint Director of Panchayat and Rural Development (P&RD) Department Mr H K Vaidya said the NREGA had replaced the earlier centrally sponsored scheme, National Food for Work Programme in September 2005.

Giving details about the NREGA the officials informed panchayats were primarily responsible for selection of beneficiaries under the employment generation scheme that aims to provide 100 days of work per year to each beneficiary.

Employment seekers are required to register themselves with local panchayats which would verify facts provided by applicants before providing employment within their jurisdiction, they added.

The jobseekers would be given jobs within 15 days after their names were registered with concerned panchayat body, they informed further addind in case failure on part of the state government to provide jobs through panchayats, individual applicants are entitled to unemployment allowance for next 30 days.

In case of failure to provide employement even after 30 days, the unemployment allowance had to be increased to at par with half of the state government prescribed daily wage for unskilled workers.

The Centre had sponsored the NREGA in Asom at 90:10 ratio fund share basis and released its component of 90 per cent in advance, the sources said.

The Centre is not responsible for payment of unemployment allowance that is required to be paid by the state government from its own resources.

So far 4,20,982 job seekers have been registered with panchayat bodies in seven districts of the state covered under the NREGA. Out of these, Deputy Commissioners are acting as programme coordinators in four districts,sources added.

The principal secretaries of autonomous district councils are acting as coordinators in the two hill districts of North Cachar and Karbi Anglong while in case of Kokrajhar district, the Additional Principal Secretary of Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District Council (BTADC) is the coordinator.

Addressing the technical session, Director of the P &RD department of the state A Rahman informed the concerned government officials would be held responsible if failed to provide jobs to applicants under the NREGA.

UNI XC PP KLC1329