New Delhi: The UPA has allotted Rs 10,000 crore for the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP), UPA’s flagship programme for the poor; however, especially with elections ahead, the BJP however is not impressed.
Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad said, "We have asked for Rs 38,000 crore to Rs 40,000 crore and will get 10,000 rupees. This is just the money to be spent in April, May and June.”
Rs 10,000 crore is a huge amount when it took the whole of last year to spend Rs 23,000 crore of an allocated 30,000 crore rupees.
Aware that this flagship programme guaranteeing employment to the rural landless, the government wants to give NREGP a big push in the months leading up to the polls. It could prove to be the proverbial game changer and every UPA wants this programme to do well.
Congress MP Sandep Dixit said, “State governments have also benefited from this in the national level, this will play a major factor. All parties will want to be involved in this." "
NREGA is the closest India has ever come to providing the right to work, minimum wage and work that must be made available on demand within 15 days.
This is law and in election season, the BJP is looking for methods to counter this and the poor performance of the programme on the ground gives it fodder for the fight.
BJP Spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said, "The country is in recession. The government does not have the will power to fight it all."
NREGP has the potential to beat the recession, provide the poorest with a safety net, and help win elections, if only its performance on the ground matched with what the UPA claims on paper.
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