A Historic Initiative of the Congress Party

• The National rural Employment Guarantee Scheme is one of the most ambitious poverty alleviation schemes initiated by the Congress led UPA Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh and a social safety network of this dimensions has not been undertaken ever before anywhere in the world. The steadfast commitment of Smt. Sonia Gandhi, President, Indian National Congress in the conception, formulation, enactment and implementation of the scheme made it possible to fulfill an important promise we had made in our manifesto for the 204 Lok Sabha elections.
• For the first time in the history of independent India the Congress led UPA Government has given legal sanctity to the right to work in the rural areas.
• In the first phase (2006-2007) 200 districts were identified and in the second phase (2007-2008), another 130 districts were identified for the implementation of NREGS. The Act provided time till 2010 to cover the entire country. But in view of the tremendous potential that the NREGS has to benefit the rural poor, the Congress led UPA Government announced the extension of the Scheme to all the remaining districts this year itself. This will be implemented from 1st April 2008.
• The Outstanding benefit of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was its success in providing employment to 2.10 crore rural households, in the 200 districts in which the scheme was implemented in the first phase during 2006-2007.
• The Scheme created 90.50 crore person days and the amount of wages paid for unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled persons was to the tune of Rs.6204.09 crores in 2006-07 and Rs.2469.44 crore up to August,2007.
• The Congress Party has always been championing the cause of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Out of the person days created, more than 60% share was of SC and ST.
• The share of women in the person-days created was 40%.
• A total of 8,00,000 works, which focused on creating durable assets were taken up of which, 54% of the works pertained to water conservation and water harvesting.
• There is increasing evidence that the implementation of the scheme has improved land productivity.
• In several parts of the country water table is rising after ponds, wells and other water bodies were built or recharged under National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme.
• It has resulted in improved economic independence for women and enabled many women to come out of social barriers and traditional religious inhibitions.
• Under this scheme small and marginal farmers belonging to SC and ST can undertake land improvement like contour bunding, nallah bunding, dug wells & ponds and also get employment for the work done on their own fields.