Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme for Andamans Soon

Port Blair, Oct 01 (UNI) The Andaman and Nicobar Territorial Congress Committee have announced that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme will soon be implemented by the UPA government in the remote islands of Andaman and Nicobar chain.

''The decision to bring all the districts in the country under the ambit of NREGA has come following a request made by Mr Rahul Gandhi, the newly elected General Secretary of the Congress Party to the Prime Minster of India,'' Vice-President of Andaman and Nicobar Territorial Congress Committee Jag Narayan told UNI here.

There was a continuous demand from various organisations and the ANTCC to implement the NREGA in tsunami hit Andaman and Nicobar Islands as initially the pilot project was launched in nearly 200 districts only.

The scheme, which envisages providing 100 days' employment to the rural poor in a year, will come into effect from April 2008. An annual budget of Rs 20,000 crores has been earmarked for one year for the implementation of NREGA in the country, he said.

''It will go a long way to mitigate the sufferings of a large number of rural masses, especially those living in remote scattered islands of Andaman and Nicobar Chain,'' he added.

The scheme would be implemented through PRIs, which would identify beneficiaries at the level of Gram Sabha.

The Congress party said for implementation of NREGA, ANTCC's concern would be those panchayats where parties other than the Congress are in power.

''Under this scheme if an eligible person is not given employment for 100 days, then he can claim compensation through concerned the panchayat,'' Chief Spokesperson of ANTCC K Ganeshan told UNI