Rural employment scheme, a hit among people in Punjab

Kaler Khera village (Punjab), Feb 28 (ANI): The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) is a big hit among the villagers in Punjab.

The Government launched the ambitious NREGS in 2006 to provide employment to villagers.

Villagers of Kaler Khera of Punjab are making the most of it. They are enjoying the benefits of the scheme as they are gainfully employed.

They are now harnessing their productive potential to the hilt and are getting at least a hundred days of employment.

"My husband has not been keeping well and he is out of work. I am happy that the government has come up with this rural employment scheme that is helping people like me," said Nirmala, a beneficiary of the NREGS.

Mahender Pal, the village head said that the scheme is benefiting a large number of villagers who used to waste their time aimlessly.

"A lot of people are benefiting from this scheme. These people work here for eight hours a day and earn their bread and butter. This scheme of the government has been of great help to the poor people," said Mahender.

Further, the government proposes to reach out to more than 40 million households under its flagship programme till the end of March in the current financial year.

Recently, Union Minister for Rural Development, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh had said in the Rajya Sabha that 2.7 million households have already been given employment for hundred days in the first phase. Around 3.6 million more households benefited in the second phase and another 2.7 million households in the third phase of the implementation of the scheme.

According to a data, 49 per cent women, 30 per cent Scheduled Castes and 25 per cent Scheduled Tribes have been benefited by the scheme so far.

In fact, this scheme, aimed at tackling the problem of rural unemployment, has also encouraged traditional handicraft industries, like textile weaving and bamboo work.

Ahead of the elections, the government is making constant efforts to generate greater awareness among the rural households about their legal right of hundred days of employment every year under the scheme.By Avtar Singh Gill (ANI)