Drought relief: Centre to fund extra 50 days’NREGA work

The Centre Wednesday agreed to fund an extra 50 days of work under MGNREGA in notified drought-affected areas,but asked the Maharashtra government to revise its proposal seeking Rs 4,900 crore,so that funds could first be released for projects that can be implemented in the short run.

In his meeting with Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh,Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan demanded Rs 4,900 crore,the bulk of it under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (Rs 2,225 crore) and the National Mission on Micro-Irrigation (Rs 1,000 crore).

While the central team asked the state to submit a revised,detailed plan next week,it agreed to some of its demands like granting additional days for labourers under MGNREGS,sanctioning funds for irrigation projects and special plans for the perennially drought prone areas under AIBP. “There is usually a memorandum presented after October,but this year we have asked them to present it now. The central team will come and assess and announce additional package. We have also requested the state to make a list of the irrigation projects which can be completed in a year,” Pawar said.