New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday held discussions with MGNREGS workers, representatives and officials of social organisations, commissioners and other officials from about 20 states, the ministry said in a statement.

"The Union Ministry of Rural Development on Wednesday organised a 'Brainstorming' session on further strengthening of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) under the chairmanship of Union Minister of Rural Development and Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan," the ministry said in a statement.

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The statement said Chouhan held direct discussions with Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers, representatives and officials of social organisations, commissioners and other officials of about 20 states, officials of districts, blocks and gram panchayats.

Ministers of state Kamlesh Paswan and Chandrasekhar Pemmasani, and Rural Development Secretary Shailesh Kumar Singh were also present along with other officials.

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The representatives gave suggestions regarding the ambitious scheme of the central government. Chouhan said MGNREGS is a very important scheme for to improve the standard of living further.

He said MGNREGS is not just a scheme but an important means of stability and empowerment in the lives of millions of people in rural India.

"During the time of Covid, MNREGA became a boon for the poor with the measures taken under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Due to the closure of factories, lakhs of people got livelihood through MNREGA," the minister was quoted in the statement.

He said the central government gives a huge amount of money to MGNREGS, which should be utilised properly and the objectives for which this scheme is made should be fulfilled.

Chouhan stressed on communication with stakeholders, adding that effective plans can be made by talking to the concerned people working on the ground.

Unless we discuss with them, we will not get the right feedback. Those working and monitoring can tell us better where the problems are at the ground level and what can be done better, he said.

The session was attended by officials and representatives from states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal along with labourers, farmers and many NGOs.

The MGNREGS provides employment to crores of workers, the statement said, adding that in this financial year so far, more than 6.7 crore workers from about five crore families across the country have been provided employment.

The statement added that more than half of the beneficiaries of the scheme are women.

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