The Kerala government has requested the Centre to reconsider the new conditions introduced in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme which has resulted in the restriction of employment opportunities for those seeking work.
Replying to a calling attention motion by P.S. Supal, MLA, on the changed scope of the MNREGA scheme in the Kerala Assembly on Wednesday, Minister for Excise and Local Self-Government M.V. Govindan said the new clauses introduced in the scheme by the Centre had resulted in a reduction in the man-days of work.
The new clauses came into effect from August 1 this year, according to which, in every grama panchayat, permission has to be taken from the district programme coordinator if more than 20 jobs at a time have to be sanctioned. Unlike in other States, most grama panchayats in Kerala are heavily populated, with at least 27,000 persons needing employment. The new clauses are thus restrictive for the State, he said.
