4.2 crore families received work under NREGA

Minister for Rural Development Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said nearly 4.2 crore families have received work under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and was trying to ensure panchayats met regularly to monitor its implementation.

The government on wednesday said nearly 4.2 crore families have received work under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and it was trying to ensure panchayats met regularly to monitor its implementation.

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"We are making efforts to ensure that gram panchayats meet regularly and all district collectors would be asked to see that the meetings are held at regular intervals," Minister for Rural Development Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said while addressing delegates at an international seminar on rural poverty held in New Delhi.

Highlighting the UPA government's efforts of implementing NREGA in February 2006, the Minister said at a time when the programme is about to complete three years of its implementation, "4.2 crore families have received work under it and the budget has gone up to Rs 30 crore".

Accusing the anti-poor lobby of trying to scuttle the programme, Singh said through social audit and public participation, NREGA has been a success story. "Barring some incidents of irregularities, we have ensured it goes on smoothly through our zero-tolerance attitude towards corruption."

He added that the Centre has taken corrective measures to rectify mistakes as there is always scope for improvement.

Singh also said that state governments have been asked to compile their success stories in order to show the world that NREGA has been a successful model of rural development in the country.