NEW DELHI, Apr 26: The Government today promised that it would review wages under MGNREGA every year and dismissed allegations that it decreased allocations under the programme this fiscal year. It said whatever funds are allocated under the scheme are based on needs and there is no particular fixed quota. In reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said the Government has to ensure that thereare nine hours of working under MGNREGA with an interval of one hour.
The Minister said though he is not promising anything he is looking into changing the working hours of women under MGNREGA from 0800-1700 hrs to 0900-1700 hrs as the fairer sex also has domestic chores to perform. Mr Ramesh said such kinds of demands of changing of working hours for female workers have come from states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu and he is looking into them. He also dismissed the allegations of Mr Neeraj Shekhar(SP) that Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee decreased the allocation of MGNREGA from Rs 44,000 crore to Rs 33,000 cr, saying for social programmes there is no fixed quota as such and whatever funds are allocated are based on need and whichever states have raised demands for funds under the programmes the Government has tried to fulfil them. (UNI)
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