-The Indian Express
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Friday came out in support of NCP leader and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar’s suggestion to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the UPA’s flagship rural job guarantee scheme (NREGS) should be suspended for “at least three months in a year” so that agricultural labourers are available during the peak season of agricultural operations in various parts of the country.
“He (Sharad Pawar) is a very senior leader. We of course have a serious crisis in Maharashtra… cotton farmers and all. So this is one suggestion and I think the Central government will definitely look at it,” Chavan said on Friday.
Chavan’s remarks come in the backdrop of Pawar outlining his misgivings about NREGS to the PM, as reported by The Indian Express on Thursday. His comments hold significance as the Congress has staked credit for launching the NREGS as a mega welfare scheme for the needy .