NEW DELHI: Even as the Government fielded two ministers in the Lok Sabha to address the issues raised by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kalyan Singh during the discussion on the National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill 2004, the Opposition on Monday sought an assurance from Finance Minister P. Chidambaram that funds would be made available for this "revolutionary" programme.

Supporting the Bill but questioning the intent of the Government, Dharmendra Pradhan (BJP) said its successful implementation was in doubt because there were reports that the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister and the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission were not very supportive of this endeavour.

Stating there were two faces of the United Progressive Alliance Government — "a reform face and a human face" — Mr. Pradhan demanded that the Finance Minister assure the House that there were enough funds for the programme.

Referring to Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar's statement that it took a year for him to get staff assigned to his ministry, the member from Orissa pondered aloud whether, under such circumstances, the programme would succeed. For, it was to be implemented by panchayats.

Resuming the debate — which spilled over from last Thursday — Water Resources Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi sought to reply to Mr. Kalyan Singh's remark that the Government had finally woken up to the need for such a programme. Listing the poverty alleviation programmes launched by successive Congress governments, he said it was unfair to say nothing had been done in this area for 50 years. Social security was crucial to national security. He suggested that an amount be set apart from every MP's Local Area Development Scheme fund to supplement state funding of the programme.

Mr. Aiyar addressed the specific aspects of panchayats raised by "Acharya Kalyan Singhji" and his observation that it would have been better had the Government learnt from the experience of earlier programmes while drafting this legislation. Pointing out that the Government had picked up lessons from the earlier experience of running such programmes, he said: "We have learnt that without accountability and participation, there was always scope for corruption and non-implementation."

No government programme ever provided so much scope for panchayat participation. "This Bill makes panchayats the principal authority for planning and implementation," Mr. Aiyar said.

When Mr. Singh intervened to draw attention to a programme officer being planted in panchayats and the need for a social audit by gram sabhas, the Minister said the BJP member was going by the first Bill. These loopholes were plugged in the amended measure under consideration.

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