In a bid to provide succour to NREGA beneficiaries, who have already exhausted their 100-day quota in drought-hit districts, the government has now decided to finance additional work for the rest of the year through the calamity relief fund (CRF) kitty.
The decision, taken at the meeting of the empowered group of ministers (eGoM) on tackling drought held on Thursday evening, is expected to benefit 4.6 lakh families in 299 districts spanning across 12 states that have been declared drought-hit. UPA managers on Thursday said that the eGoM debated at length on identifying a mechanism to ensure further employment to the poor in the drought-hit districts, who had already availed of the 100-day scheme within the first six months of 2009.
There had been proposals earlier to increase the number of days under NREGA but UPA circles pointed out that this would have required a constitutional amendment. The way out was suggested by home minister P Chidambaram, whose idea of funding further employment to the poor in these districts through the CRF found immediate acceptance. There was also some positive news on projections of yield and total cultivated area, with the eGoM being told that the estimated deficit in the overall sown area for the kharif crop had dropped down from 72 lakh hectare to 66 lakh hectare in the light of the steady rainfall in the last few days.
?The total deficiency in production now is estimated to be about 16%,? a government functionary said, pointing out that even in paddy sown now stood at 309 lakh hectare compared to the normal area of 391 lakh hectare.