After patting on the back by announcing that he would give one per cent of the annual budget of the ministry for rural development (`99,000 crores) to the ministry of panchayati raj, Union minister Jairam Ramesh is faced with reality check — that it is not he who can do so, but Parliament only.

A few weeks ago, Union minister for rural development Jairam Ramesh announced that one per cent of his ministry’s annual budget, which would come to about `990 crores, would be given to the panchayati raj ministry.

The rural development minister. Mr Jairam Ramesh, today tabled the ‘MNREGA 2.0’ ~ the second generation reforms for the rural job scheme ~ in both Houses of Parliament.

The Centre on Tuesday unveiled the expanded version of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, allowing over 30 new permissible works, as productivity-enhancing activity. The gram panchayats alone have been empowered to decide on the priority of work to be taken up.

Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh, who tabled in Parliament a copy of the new notification, and Planning Commission member Mihir Shah told reporters that the purpose was to give supremacy to meet the exigencies of the States, and the livelihood needs of the people in the rural areas.

New Delhi Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday reiterated his opposition to the food ministry’s proposal for providing grain as part-payment of wages under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).

“The work carried out under the food-for-work programme was really of bad quality and we do not want to repeat the same mistake,” Ramesh said after getting Parliament nod for the changes in NREGA, which allows atleast 30 new works to be taken up under the mega job-guarantee scheme.

even years after unveiling the rural job guarantee scheme, the Centre on Tuesday announced a major extension of scope of works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) in a bid to revive demand for jobs, which witnessed over 20 per cent dip in the last financial year.

Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday tabled the “MNREGA 2.0 — the second generation reforms” for the flag scheme in both Houses of Parliament

The Centre on Friday said it is examining a proposal to provide foodgrains as part of wage payments to agriculture workers under NREGA. Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar also said that another proposal to provide a certain number of NREGA workers for agricultural operation has “not received” any positive response. He was responding to a demand from Congress leader J.D. Seelam in the Rajya Sabha that the government should pay 50 per cent of the wages to agriculture labourers, working on private land in Andhra Pradesh, from NREGA fund as farmers are not getting labour.

The UPA’s flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MGNREGA) appears to be losing its sheen, as the Centre could release about `29,190 crores against the budgetary allocation of `40,000 crores during the just-concluded financial year, showing a dip of more than 25 per cent. Even in the job demands under the flagship scheme, the data suggest more than 20 per cent decline.