Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to be extended to J and K

New Delhi, Apr 27 (UNI) The Rajya Sabha today passed 'The National Rural Employment Guarantee (Extension to Jammu and Kashmir) Bill, 2007, providing for extension of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, to Jammu and Kashmir.

The Bill, which had already been passed by the Lok Sabha was not applicable to J and K because of the existence of a separate constitution in the state. However, provision had been already made by the centre so that the funds allocated under the scheme, were made available to the state.

Introducing the Bill in the House after Question Hour, Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said the scheme had been applicable in 200 districts all over the country with promising results. Therefore, keeping that in view, it should now be extended to Jammu and Kashmir.

BJP members wanted to know how were funds already made available to J and K and under what scheme, if it was not extended to the state.

They demanded abrogation of Article 370.

The Minister dismissed all apprehensions that implementation and monitoring of the scheme was difficult in terrorism and insurgency-affected areas and that there was widespread corruption and misuse of such funds.

He said the scheme was implemented through Panchayats and, therefore, common people were involved. It was difficult to misuse the funds under the scheme.

He claimed that the scheme would greatly help remove unemployment which was root cause of terrorism and insurgency and would, therefore, help remove such lawlessness.

UNI