New Delhi: With the model code of conduct in force from March 1 in the five States going to the Assembly polls, the Election Commission on Wednesday asked the Centre not to increase the number of districts or beneficiaries in these States under the National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREG) Scheme.

Under the scheme launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month, one unemployed man or woman in a family will have the right to demand 100 days of work in a year.

They will be paid Rs. 80 for seven hours of unskilled work.

They will work on building roads, improving rural infrastructure, constructing canals, water conservation schemes, etc. Initially, the scheme will be in operation in 200 districts and will be extended to the whole country by 2010.

Clarification sought

The Commission's fiat to the Rural Development Ministry was a sequel to a clarification sought by the Centre on the implementation of the scheme in the poll-bound States.

The Commission said that after the announcement of elections in any State or Union Territory, the Ministry should not increase the number of districts in which the NREG Scheme was being implemented.

Only the job cardholders should be provided employment if they demand work. The competent authority should start no new work. If no employment could be provided in the ongoing works, the competent authority could start new work or works from the shelf of projects that had been approved and inform the same to the District Election Officer (DEO) concerned.

In case no shelf of project was available or all works available on shelf had been exhausted then the competent authority should make a reference to the Commission for approval through the Chief Electoral Officer.

The competent authority should also furnish a certificate to the DEO to the effect that the new work had been sanctioned as no employment could be given to the job cardholder in the ongoing work.

The responsibility for following these instructions should lie with the authority sanctioning new work.

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