The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) succeeded in generating rural employment in Idukki district, P.T. Thomas M.P. has said.
He told The Hindu that MGNREGS got maximum participation in the interior rural areas and it could be possible to spent more amount than targeted because of the wide support it received.
MGNREGS not only provided employment to the poor, but helped in the direction of women empowerment in consideration of the large participation by them. He said that grama panchayats should take care in spending the maximum amount under the scheme and development programmes should be clubbed with the MGNREGS. He said that the scope for widening areas under MGNREGs would be sought and dairy sector could be brought under the MGNREGS. It will not only help in increasing the milk production but many farmers who left the dairy sector could be brought back, he said.
The grama panchayats should take care of making tailor-made projects under the scope of MGNREGS, he said and added that the agrarian sector could be made productive if the local bodies initiate the step to spend maximum amount under the scheme. He said that there is no base for the allegation that the MGNREGS contributed for the labour shortage being felt in the farming sector. In fact Mr Thomas said that it was the MGNREGS that helped in bringing new people to the employment scheme raising the dignity of labour. He said that the local bodies should take care to implement the central projects in time and MGNREGS should be projected to make more productive especially the agriculture sector.
