Recognising the impact of schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), President Pratibha Patil on Thursday called for their further utilisation in the agriculture sector in the emerging scenario of “farm labour shortage and food security.” The President's comments are significant in the context of Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's recent letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to suspend the MGNREGS during crop harvesting...

-IndiaInfoline.com   Indian Labour Conference in its 43rd session recommended to increase the number of working days along with the guaranteed statutory wage under MGNREGA. Government has ruled out increase in the number of working days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme from the existing 100 days to 200 days, saying such a move will result in a competitive disadvantage towards agricultural productivity. Indian Labour Conference in its 43rd session...

-Press Information Bureau   Government has said that there is no definite findings indicating shortage of farm labourers due to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Since MGNREGA is a demand driven scheme, backed by legislation, State Governments are obliged to provide up to 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every rural household for doing unskilled manual work, if demanded, at any time of the...

-IndiaInfoline.com The information was given by the Minister of State for Rural Development Pradeep Jain in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha yesterday. Government has said that there is no definite findings indicating shortage of farm labourers due to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Since MGNREGA is a demand driven scheme, backed by legislation, State Governments are obliged to provide up to 100 days of...

-The Hindu   The government has announced that all rural development programmes, including the flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme, would be brought under the auditing ambit of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). The outlay on rural development programmes during the current fiscal has been put at Rs. 88,000 crore. “You will be happy to know that for the first time the government has decided to bring all...