NREGA to become operational from next month

New Delhi, Mar 27 (UNI) The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) will become operational throughout the nation from April 1, according to an official release issued today.

Accordingly, a series of events have been worked out by the Department of Rural Development in the Ministry of Rural Development.

In order to publicise the NREGA on a wider scale, the Union Minister for Rural Development Raghuvansh Prasad Singh has written to the Chief Ministers of all states and administrators of Union Territories to cooperate for the advocacy and promotional activities of the NREGA programmes at all levels of administration in April 2008.

The Minister has also requested them to ensure that NREGA workers' accounts are opened in post offices and banks so that the wage payment due to them, is made through their accounts as this will ensure transparency in NREGA.

Dr Singh added that opening account of wage earners in post offices and banks is free of cost and no service charge is payable by the Department of Rural Development to either banks or post offices.

Dr Singh has also urged the Chief Ministers and UT Administrators to review the status of the districts' preparations in this regard.

UNI BKS BDP KN1958