Don’t fail the poor, PM tells states on NREGA

Saying that the implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, passed by his UPA government, was "uneven", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday asked states lagging behind in its implementation "not to fail the poor".

Addressing a conference of state ministers of rural development and panchayati raj in New Delhi, he asked them to learn from the "success stories and indifferent performances" in implementation of the job guarantee scheme.

"We still have miles to go before we achieve the full potential of this unique legislation. The performance of the programme has been uneven across states. Some states have shown good results, some are lagging behind. I urge them to catch up," he said.

The prime minister's remarks come close on the heels of party president Sonia Gandhi admitting there have been complaints about NREGA's implementation and asking party workers to be vigilant so that the scheme "does not fall victim to corrupt and inflexible bureaucratic practices".

The NREGA is widely seen as one of the UPA's winning moves which influenced the voting pattern in rural India during the last general election. With assembly elections due in three states next month, the Congress-led UPA continues to focus on this scheme.

The prime minister said the time had come to draw correct lessons from the experience of the past five years during which the NREGA has been in place, and institute a reform programme. "We cannot fail the poor of our country, particularly at a time when resources are available to provide gainful livelihood for at least 100 days to the rural poor," he said.