The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Poor response to NREGA job scheme

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Tuesday, Nov 04, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Poor response to NREGA job scheme

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: The people in rural areas of the State have not been coming forward to do unskilled labour under the job scheme being implemented under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) 2005, according to Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Shobha Karandlaje.

Addressing presspersons here on Monday, she said that though daily wages under the job scheme had been increased from Rs. 74 to Rs. 82 recently, adults were refusing to work under the scheme due to low wages. The Government has proposed to increase the wages to Rs. 100 a day. However, some farmers have expressed fear that they would not get labourers for farm-related work, which would lead to reduction of areas under food crops, particularly in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, she said.

Aim

The Centre had launched the NREGA to enhance the livelihood of rural people on a sustained basis by developing the economic and social infrastructure in villages, she said. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India, in its 2007 report, has criticised the State Government for showing laxity in the implementation of the job scheme and for the non-distribution of job cards.

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