The Hindu : Front Page : New food-for-work scheme gets nod

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 14, 2004

Front Page

Front Page

New food-for-work scheme gets nod

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI, OCT. 13. The Cabinet today cleared the new food-for-work scheme that will eventually be converted into the National Rural Employment programme based on a National Employment Guarantee Act, promised in the National Common Minimum Programme of the Government. This guarantees 100 days employment to all able-bodied persons in rural areas.

Initially, the scheme will be implemented in 150 districts, covering almost the entire country, with the bulk of the benefit likely to go to backward districts in Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

The scheme will be given Rs. 4,000 crores for the next six months.

The clearance for this ambitious scheme came at today's Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh.

Job guarantee bill

The National Employment Guarantee draft bill that is under the consideration of the National Advisory Council will provide a legal guarantee for at least 100 days of employment, to begin with on asset-creating public works programmes every year at minimum wages of at least one able-bodied person in every rural household.

The Union Rural Development Ministry will implement the scheme.

The Union Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, in his budget speech had said that allocations under different schemes would be pooled to support the food-for-work programme.

He had said that special care would be taken in laying down the guidelines for the programme.

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