Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Centre tried to reach out to rural masses by making major changes in its flagship programme NREGA, which include Rs.10,000 for constructing toilets for all job card holders and assistance for buildings for women self help federations.
In a bid to address the issue of delay in distributing wage payments to NREGA workers, the UPA government also announced compensation for them if it is delayed beyond 15 days and the amount would be deducted from officials responsible for it.
“Every job card holder will be entitled to build an individual toilet and the NREGA contribution goes up from the current Rs.4,500 to Rs.10,000,” rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said announcing changes in Schedule I and Schedule II of the Centre’s ambitious rural job scheme.
Ramesh, who also held the sanitation portfolio for a brief period, said that with this decision, the government was universalizing the toilet construction programme in the country, where 60% of its people still defecate in the open.
“Anybody who has a job card and if you don’t have a toilet at your home, you will get Rs.10,000 under NREGA for constructing toilet... What we are doing is we are expanding the universe of people who can build toilets,” the minister said.
In a bid to address the issue of delay in distributing wage payments to NREGA workers, the UPA government also announced compensation for them if it is delayed beyond 15 days and the amount would be deducted from officials responsible for it.
“Every job card holder will be entitled to build an individual toilet and the NREGA contribution goes up from the current Rs.4,500 to Rs.10,000,” rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said announcing changes in Schedule I and Schedule II of the Centre’s ambitious rural job scheme.
Ramesh, who also held the sanitation portfolio for a brief period, said that with this decision, the government was universalizing the toilet construction programme in the country, where 60% of its people still defecate in the open.
“Anybody who has a job card and if you don’t have a toilet at your home, you will get Rs.10,000 under NREGA for constructing toilet... What we are doing is we are expanding the universe of people who can build toilets,” the minister said.
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