Government focuses on rural jobs in Interim Budget

New Delhi, Feb 16, (ANI): Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday announced an allocation of Rs. 30,100 crore for the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme for the year 2009-10 and said the scheme has made a significant contribution in providing employment.

"Adequate funds have been ensured for the flagship programmes. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme gets Rs. 30,100 crore for the year 2009-10. This Scheme generated 138.76 crore person days of employment covering 3.51 crore households in 2008-09," Mukherjee told Parliament.

The Finance Minister has also made an allocation of Rs. 6,705 crore to the Integrated Child Development Scheme.

"The Integrated Child Development Scheme would get an allocation of Rs. 6,705 crore. This Scheme was expanded twice in the last five years to cover the hitherto uncovered habitations across the country," Mukherjee said.

Apart from this, the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Drinking Water Mission will receive Rs. 7,400 crore for supplying safe drinking water to uncovered habitations and slipped back habitations.

The government has also provided Rs. 1,200 crore for the Total Rural Sanitation Programme. This would be allocated to the National Rural Health Mission.

Bharat Nirman, the time-bound plan for building rural infrastructure would receive Rs. 40,900 crore. This package has six components - rural roads, telephony, irrigation, drinking water supply, housing and electrification. (ANI)