A delegation of AICC General Secretaries met the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh today and requested that the coverage of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act should be extended to the entire country.

The delegation discussed the expansion of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act to uncovered areas of the country. They mentioned that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is a landmark legislation of the UPA government. It is also one of the important promises in the Congress Party manifesto and a key element of the National Common Minimum Programme.

The delegation highlighted that the passage of this Act and its implementation in many parts has been widely welcomed across the length and breadth of the country. For the first time, the poor people of the country have been given a legally enforceable right to get minimum employment for 100 days. The Act has provided relief to those in distress and made a significant difference to the lives of the rural poor who have used it to secure relief wherever they had no other source of livelihood. Its popularity can be assessed from the widespread demand to extend it to other parts of the country. The Act itself has an inbuilt commitment to roll it out to cover the entire country.

Keeping in view the commitment made by the government under the Act and the need to provide this legal right to all citizens of the country, the delegation of the Congress Party requested the government to immediately extend the coverage of the Act to all uncovered rural areas. This would double coverage from the current level of 330 districts to over 600 districts. Such a measure, it added, would be in the interest of the aam aadmi, would reinforce this government's commitment to eradicating poverty and be widely welcomed as an important welfare measure.

The Prime Minister assured the Congress Party delegation that their request would be given serious consideration. He further assured them that a decision on the matter would be taken shortly by the Government.

The delegation consisted of Shri Rahul Gandhi, Shri Veerappa Moily Shri Ashok Gehlot, Shri Janardan Dwivedi, Shri Kishore Chandra Deo, Shri Mukul Wasnik, Smt Margaret Alva, Shri Prithviraj Chavan, Shri V Narayanaswamy, Shri Satyavrat Chaturvedi and Shri V Arun Kumar.