Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be the convener of the subgroup. Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, West Bengal CM Mamata Benrjee, Sikkim CM Pawan Kumar Chamling and NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chandra will the other members of the panel.

 

The move comes in the backdrop of the vision of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards doubling farmers’ income by 2022 which requires a multi-dimensional and inclusive approach.

 

During the NITI Aayog Governing Council, it was suggested to come out with approaches with special emphasis on pre-sowing and post-harvest interventions using MGNREGS, for creating durable assets that double income of farmers and reduce agrarian distress. Sources said Shivraj  Singh Chouhan’s name was nominated by the Prime Minister to lead the CMs’ sub-group for taking coordinated policy approach on the agriculture sector and MGNREGS.  The first meeting of the sub-group is expected to be held next month. The panel will submit its report within three months.

 

To suggest State-specific interventions both for pre-sowing and post-harvest to further improve thrust on income, water conservation and waste to wealth

To suggest ways to align MGNREGS works with agriculture sector for achieving the goal of doubling farmers’ income by 2022. The thrust will be on water conservation, individual beneficiary schemes, construction of rural haats, vermi-composting

To make recommendations on interventions of MGNREGS that can facilitate reduction of agrarian distress including work availability, wage rates, seasonality

 To explore possibilities of MGNREGS as a livelihood resource for development and diversification of livelihoods of small and marginal farmers specially belonging to SC/ST households

 

Source:newindianexpress.com