In a recent decision taken in June this year, the Union ministry of rural development has chosen not to extend the rural employment guarantee scheme, launched by the United Progressive Alliance (upa) government in February 2006, to other areas till December. This has been done so that a review can be carried out to assess the results of the scheme until now.

So far, the scheme that was geared to alleviate rural poverty and create natural resource assets has been extended to 200 districts and is targeted to 583 districts in five years. The second phase was to start around July