Three more Punjab districts to be covered under NREGA

Chandigarh, June 12 (UNI) The districts of Jalandhar, Amritsar and Nawanshahar would now be brought under National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).

So far Hoshiarpur was the only district in Punjab which was covered under NREGA.

This was disclosed by Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Ranjeet Singh Brahmpura while chairing a meeting of the State Rural Employment Guarantee Council here today.

In the meeting the approval to the annual report of implementation of NREGA in Hoshiarpur was granted. The meeting reviwed the development works to be taken up by various gram panchayats of Hoshiarpur district. A sum of Rs 902.31 lakh had already been spent so far under this scheme, he added.

The Minister further said that the state government had urged the Union Government to include Tarn Taran district under this scheme. He stressed upon the optimum utilisation of funds and proper monitoring of development works by the officers to plug leakages.

He added that the government had already formed a state employment rural guarantee council and Mr Tejveer Singh had been appointed as State Rural Employment Guarantee Commissioner.

UNI