Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has said that revised guidelines for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, MGNREGA, will be prepared by the 15th of next month and the new face of the scheme MGNREGA-2 will be ready by the end of May 2012.

Talking to media in Bhopal today, he said that his Ministry has accepted a report of Mihir Sen Committee in this regard. Mr. Ramesh said that thirty new works under MGNREGA have also been recommended. Out of these 27 are related with agriculture. He said that Rural Development Ministry has given approval to include these works in MNREGA.

Mr. Jairam Ramesh said that CAG will do audit of MNREGA from this financial year. Action will be taken on the reports of CAG. In the first phase, audit will take place in 12 states including Madhya Pradesh. Union Rural Development Minister said that he has written letters to chief ministers of states to institutionalize social auditing of MNREGA. He said that irregularities to the tune of one hundred twenty crore rupees came to fore during social auditing in Andhra Pradesh. Social auditing is performed by village panchayats. He said that Andhra Pradesh stands first in implementation of MNREGA while Uttar Pradesh comes among the worst performers.

Mr. Ramesh said that ninety nine thousand crore rupees have been allocated in the union budget for the rural development programmes this year. Out of this, Madhya Pradesh is likely to get about seven thousand five hundred crore rupees.