NREGS: Focus on water schemes,says Jairam

Terming as unhealthy the focus on undertaking road projects under the NREGS,Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh advocated discouraging road projects

Terming as unhealthy the focus on undertaking road projects under the NREGS,Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Monday advocated discouraging road projects under the scheme and suggested keeping the scheme focussed on water harvesting and water conservation.

I find roads being built under the scheme in many states. Too much focus on roads is not healthy as it would not last long. We should discourage road projects to the minimal level and focus more on water conservation and water harvesting, he said,inaugurating a conference on NREGA reforms here.

Underlining that the ministry would soon come out with reformed guidelines for the scheme,which he called NREGA 2.0,the minister said,We should not become prisoners of any particular mantra. There is no magic bullet,but there could be multiplicity of solutions.

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He advocated relaxing the norms for wage payment in areas with poor banking network.

Ramesh felicitated Sushil Kumar who recently won the Rs 5 crore jackpot in Kaun Banega Crorepati,and said he was contemplating using his services to spread awareness about the programme in states like Bihar,Uttar Pradesh,Jharkhand and Orissa.

Day after PM Modi’s visit to the town, Manipur’s Churachandpur sees violent protest

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Protests in Manipur's Churachandpur turned violent as two men were arrested for damaging decorations for PM Modi's visit. The crowd demanded their release and attempted to storm the police station. The men were eventually released after a bail hearing. The incident occurred after a clash between locals and police on Thursday, but the situation had calmed down before Saturday's visit.

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