Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Kamleshwar Patel on Thursday called on Union Minister for Panchayat Raj, Rural Development and Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar in New Delhi.
He held a detailed discussion on significant issues like increasing wages under MNREGA, hike in administrative expenditure from 6 to 8 percent, increase in amount of community cleanliness premises under Swachch Bharat Mission from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh and provision of fund for water conservation work under MNREGA. Union Minister Tomar gave an assurance to take decision after considering all the points.
Rural Development Minister Patel said that under MNREGA, minimum wages should be increased from Rs 174 per manday to Rs 205 per manday i.e. equal to minimum farmers’ wage. Patel said that according to the local demand under MNREGA, the right to add new activities should be given to the state governments.
He urged the Union Minister to ensure release of MNREGA amount on time and also ensure availability of funds, in view of water crisis in Bundelkhand, Nimad and Vindhya region.
Patel demanded that under the Pradhan Mantri Gram-Sadak Yojana, the villages and settlements should be included on the basis of population of year 2011 and members of women self-help groups should be given 50 percent participation in poly-house, drip irrigation and sprinkler schemes of Agriculture Department. Similarly, under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the state should be granted one or 2 percent discretionary quota to add poor beneficiaries who were left out in the survey in state under the Yojana.