A bio metric data base of all MGNREGA works will be in place soon to reduce instances of discrimination in work allocation and other deficiencies in the Rural Employment programme. Initially a pilot project will be launched and later after thorough examination, it will be implemented through out the country. It is estimated to cost of 2500 crore rupees and will be a public private partnership project. This was announced by the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh while addressing a function in New Delhi on Wednesday to mark five years of historic National Employment Guarantee Programme Act. He said a major initiative is on anvil to strengthen the Gram Panchayats. The initiative will support them in a phased manner. A technical unit will be set up in the Panchayats with a Panchayat Development Officer and a junior engineer to improve managerial efficiency. The Prime Minister said that priority will be given to the left wing extremism affected districts and those districts were the annual expenditure on the employment act has crossed hundred crore. Dr. Manmohan Singh while referring to the success of this Employment Guarantee Scheme asserted that implementation on the ground is a challenge. Talking about the steps taken by the government to plug the leakages, Dr. Manmohan Singh said that ten crore banks and post office accounts are now disbursing the wages to the workers. Dr. Singh called for active involvement of people in the implementation, monitoring and social audit of the Employment Guarantee Programme. The Prime Minister said that the government hopes to boost to agriculture and allied economy through this programme and a proposal to integrate MGNREGA with National Rural Livelihoods Mission for skills training and other schemes is under consideration. This, he said will help develop horticulture and pisci-culture. He said the Employment Guarantee Programme has to be made citizen centric, transparent and accountable to usher in a new model of development and delivery at the doorsteps of rural India. Speaking on the occasion, the UPA chairperson Mrs. Sonia Gandhi hailed the role of this programme in arresting the migration of rural population to urban areas. She however said that there are many discrepancies and deficiencies in its implementation which need to be addressed immediately. They include issuance of fake job cards and master rolls and so on. She urged the States to work towards cleansing this process and also called upon the Centre to extend full support to States in this regard. Mrs. Gandhi asserted that NGOs can also play a major role in its effective implementation. Later talking to reporters, the Rural Development Minister Mr. Vilas Rao Deshmukh said that government will take care of all those activists and NGOs who are working towards transparent implementation of this Act. Referring to a particular case of intimidation he said that he will take up the issue with the concerned state government. He also urged the States to provide them full protection. Our correspondent reports that Magasaysay Award winner Sandeep Pandey has decided to return National Rural Employment Guarantee Achievement Award in protest against non action against a complaint lodged in 2009 in which Dalit workers were beaten by the husband of a farmer Panchayat leader.