Adopt zero tolerance to corruption under NREGA: Raghuvansh

New Delhi, May 13 (UNI) Stressing the need for zero tolerance to corruption, Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh today called for adopting a five-point strategy of raising awareness, people's participation, transparency, accountability and strict vigilance and monitoring by all the stakeholders.

Briefing media on the Performance Review Committee meeting of the Rural Development Ministry, Dr Singh asked states to develop a mechanism to ensure timely verification of works with two per cent of all to be verified by state level officials, ten per cent at district level and 100 per cent at block level. States have also been asked to effectively operationalise Gram Sabhas for selection of work and social audit of all of it.

He said till now 3.37 crore households have been provided employment during 2007-08 and a total of 142 crore man days of employment were generated under the programme of which 38.7 crore man days of employment for Scheduled Castes, 41.36 crore man days for STs and 61.55 crore person days for others. Women got about 42 per cent of all employment with 60. 39 crore man days of employment going to them.

Over 36 lakh families got full 100 days employment, he said and added that a total of 17.76 lakh works were taken up during the year 2007-08 of which 8.05 lakh works were completed. The Centre has released Rs 12353.22 crore under NREGA, he informed.

He said a meeting of experts would be held on May 16 on NREGA in which experts from IITs, IIMs and other fields who have worked on the scheme would be invited and details of their studies would be shared. This would result in the impact assessment of the NREGA.

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