2 June : With the UPA storming back to power at the Centre on the back of the success of its flagship rural employment guarantee programme, new Minister for Rural Development C P Joshi on Tuesday reviewed the scheme with two Chief Ministers and a State Minister.
Chief Ministers of Punjab and Madhya Pradesh- Parkash Singh Badal and Shivraj Singh Chouhan respectively called upon Joshi separately and discussed the status of implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) in their states.
Badal underlined the need for liberal policies under NREGA, while Joshi focused on the need to pool in resources with state governments for better implementation of the policies and programmes in the state.Joshi highlighted the same point in his meeting with Chouhan also.The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister requested the Rural Development ministry to enhance the scope of NREGA in his state by increasing the wages given to rural poor, especially in Bundelkhand region, which is facing a severe drought.
In another meeting, Karnataka Rural Development and Public Relations Minister Shobha Karandje also met Joshi and gave him the current status of NREGA in her state.
She also sought timely Central assistance to implement centrally sponsored rural development schemes in Karnataka.
Joshi assured all of them of timely Central assistance.
Ministers of State for Rural Development, Shishir Chaudhary, Pradeep Jain and Agatha Sangma were also present during these meetings.