Job scheme: Minister hits out at Plan panel, FinMin

Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh has criticised the Planning Commission and finance ministry for going slow on the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP).

The minister wants the programme to be extended to more districts, even without additional assistance.

Brushing off the Plan panel's proposal for covering 50 more districts in the programme's next phase, the minister said he would extend the programme to 200 districts in the next phase even if additional funds were not available.

"This is a demand-driven programme and even without additional funds from the Planning Commission, the programme will be extended as per requirements," Singh told Business Standard.

The minister said the funds available with the ministry were sufficient. "We will decide the number of districts that will be added. We can do that with the funds available with the ministry," Singh said.

"The Planning Commission and finance ministry are not showing interest in funding the programme. This kind of attitude will only hit the development of rural areas," Singh said.

The rural development ministry had earlier proposed extension of the scheme to another 233 districts in the second phase but the Planning Commission indicated that 50 more districts would be covered only in the next annual Plan period.

"They do not understand the problems faced by the poor in rural parts of the country," Singh said.

NREGP, which is proposed to be extended to all rural areas in five years, completed one year on February 2.