The Rs 50,000-cr scheme will be for skilled rural workers. Even as the UPA government's flagship programme, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), is yet to deliver the desired results, the rural development ministry is giving shape to another ambitious scheme to generate jobs. The target this time is to provide employment to 50 million below poverty line (BPL) families over the next seven years.

Against the Planning Commission's and the ministry of panchayati raj's views of abolition of District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), the ministry of rural development has initiated process for restructuring of DRDAs. Last month, the rural development ministry had asked the states and Union Territories to send suggestions on the restructuring of apex body supervising anti-poverty programmes at the district levels since 1980.

On rural development, MPs' hearts may be full but during debate, Lok Sabha is empty SEEMA CHISHTI NEW DELHI, APRIL 23: The Government plugs Bharat Nirman as the Nayi Azadi in TV spots during IPL matches, rides on the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act as its shining showpiece. All political parties, Left and Right, swear by the aam aadmi and the crying need for rural development.

Over 40 thousand Village Water and Sanitation Committees have been constituted in the state under Total Sanitation Campaign. Importantly, all the members of the committees are women.

The Union Ministry of Rural Development has granted Rs 20.84 lakh to Goa as release of part payment of the first installment of the Central share for the implementation of the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY) during the current financial year (2008-09). Of the two District Rural Development Agencies (DRDAs) of Goa, North Goa has received Rs 14.71 lakh (total Centrala allocation Rs 88.25 lakh, first installment due Rs 44.12 lakh) and South Goa has received Rs 6.13 lakh (total Central allocation Rs 36.75 lakh, first installment due Rs 18.38 lakh.

Days after the young scion of the Gandhi family, Rahul Gandhi, alleged that the national rural employment guarantee scheme (NREGS) was not being implemented in drought-hit areas of Uttar Pradesh, the union rural development minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, admitted that the scheme faced corruption and had its shortcomings in implementation.

UPA's move may come three years late

The government on Tuesday took a major step to universalise implementation of the flagship programme of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in all 596 rural districts of the country.

Keeping an eye on the coming general elections, the government today extended the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) to all districts of the country and also announced the setting up of a

Rural Development Minister, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh today was all praises for the flood control works undertaken under National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) schemes initiative in BTAD area i