The Prime Minister today called upon the states to ensure that Mahatma Gandhi National Rural employment Guarantee Act, MNREGA, workers get wages within 15 days. Addressing MGNREGA Sammelan 2012 in New Delhi today, Dr Manmohan Singh asked the States to see that the formalities for payment to these workers are well coordinated and verified on time to ensure timely payment.

He said the government has also decided to use the land owned by Scheduled caste, Scheduled Tribe and below poverty line families, for irrigation, horticulture and land development projects. He said that this will benefit marginal farmers and poor families.

Congratulating the Rural Development Minister Mr. Jairam Ramesh for enhanced implementation of the scheme in Naxal affected areas under Integrated Action Plan, Dr. Singh said that this will accelerate development of the backward areas and motivate people to abjure violence.

Expressing concern that the full potential of the project is yet to be exploited, the Prime Minister said that the issues related to it can always be sorted out. He expressed hope that MGNREGA has the potential to become a model rural development scheme.

Speaking on the occasion, the National Advisory Council, chairperson Mrs. Sonia Gandhi said that corruption in the implementation of the scheme is a crime towards the poor of the country and it cannot be tolerated.

The Rural Development Minister Mr. Jairam Ramesh informed that by next month MGNREGA will be modified and restructured to sort out the discrepancies in its implementation.