I would like to remind my esteemed friend that this is not the position. The entire House was unanimous for its enactment, which means 120 and odd sitting Members from BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) were also supporting this enactment. So, you cannot make out that this is the creation only of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government. ... (Interruptions)
Mallikarjun Kharge (Gulbarga): This is not fair. ... (Interruptions) You should give credit to the government that has brought the Act. ... (Interruptions) You have supported it because it is a good Act. You do not have the courage to oppose it. ... (Interruptions)
Chaudhary Birender Singh: Why do you doubt the intention of the current government? All that I am saying is that the main Opposition party in the last Lok Sabha, that is, the BJP and other parties also were unanimous on this and one on this that the enactment of MGNREGA is for the poor of the country. So, the credit part is not the monopoly of yours.
As for your saying that I am here becoming junior and I was very senior in the Congress, Muniyappaji, I know that at least for the last 30 years, you are the most senior leader from Karnataka and that too from Scheduled Castes, but Congress never gave you that status.
K H Muniyappa (Kolar): It has given everything for me.
Chaudhary Birender Singh: A man who has been a Member of Parliament six times ... (Interruptions)
K C Venugopal (Alappuzha): Sir, let us discuss about the 193. (Interruptions)
Chaudhary Birender Singh: Should I explain? ... (Interruptions)
I served the Congress party to the best of my ability for 40 years together and they did not give me, and this party made me Cabinet minister in 40 days. What do you want more from me? ... (Interruptions) Muniyappaji wanted a reply from me, and this is the time that I should give a proper reply to you.
Bhartruhari Mahtab (Cuttack): Muniyappaji is a very good friend of yours, and he perhaps prompted you to put it on record that whatever you are today is because of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Hence, he wanted you to say it. ... (Interruptions) better. This Budget proposal may be explained in the next session.
Deputy speaker: Let him complete his speech. Afterwards, you can raise it. I will allow you to speak.
K H Muniyappa (Kolar): I want to know whether it will be continued in all the districts where it already exists.
Chaudhary Birender Singh: One more important thing is delay in payments. The other important thing is that there were complaints where workers have worked about forged job cards and all that. We have streamlined the entire system. Now, the money would be directly credited into the account of the beneficiary, and there would not be anybody in between. I cannot say whether the accounts are forged. However, as far as releasing funds and crediting the money into the account of the beneficiary are concerned, we have taken care of them.
There would be social auditing also. In certain parts of the country, social auditing has been appreciated like anything. I have a similar experience from the same area. I have noticed that sarpanches can also be influential. If the gram sabha takes notice of this and are not driven by what the panchayat says, if the gram sabha decides as such, then social auditing can be very effective.
There are certain Congress friends of mine, and they have said that you had the guts to take a decision and we did not have the guts to take a decision. ... (Interruptions)
Secondly, I would also say that there are certain areas about which we should think as to how the scheme can be more effective and can be implemented for most of the backward areas. They mentioned about a notification dated July 21, 2014 from the government and stated that the scheme would be implemented in 200 districts and 2,500 blocks, and the rest of the blocks/districts would be out of MGNREGA. This is not the exact position. The exact position is very clear. As per IPPE, the blocks, where it was assessed by independent agencies that these are the blocks in the country where the scheme is to be intensified, and where poverty and other facilities for the population of those blocks requires more funding and more intensive care of those blocks, we have decided that these 2,500 blocks would be taken care of and given more priority for allocation of funds, but rest of the districts or blocks would be very much within the competence. They would remain as part of MGNREGA, and there is no other thing to it.
Saugata Roy (Dum Dum): If you want to intensify, are you increasing the Budget allocation for the MGNREGA from the existing Rs 34,000 crore?
Chaudhary Birender Singh: That you would see when the Budget is presented. I cannot comment on it at this time.
K C Venugopal (Alappuzha): The finance minister is here.
Chaudhary Birender Singh: The Budget will be presented in the month of February. Let us have that exercise first.
You should also acknowledge that 68 per cent population of our country lives in villages. The way we treat this population should be given the top priority in terms of housing, connectivity and any other thing that can make their lives better. Madhya Pradesh is concerned, they have appointed one chartered accountant for six to eight gram panchayats who would find out whether the accounts are being maintained properly, and he could also find out from the gram sabha whether funds are being utilised in the right manner. This is one step which we have taken.
As I have told you already, there are more than five crore (50 million) rural households and 10 crore (100 million) workers, and one in every three rural households is a worker under this programme. It addressed at least 41 per cent of the problem of unemployment in rural areas.
Edited extract from Union Minister for Rural Development Birender Singh's reply on a discussion on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Lok Sabha, December 19, 2014