Implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) in selected districts of various States in the country

Success of any sustainable Poverty alleviation Programme is based on increasing productive employment opportunities along with growth. The focus of Govt. of India relates to providing employment guarantee of 100 days (of wage employment) to every rural household, whose adult member(s) are willing to do unskilled manual work. Accordingly, the Parliament has passed the historic National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) that guarantees 100 days of wage employment in a year, to every rural household.  In this connection, Govt. of India had initially identified 200 districts in different States of the country for the said purpose.  

 Sericulture and Silk Industry is an age-old tradition in many parts of rural India . While this industry is ideally suited for augmenting the economic returns to the seri-farmers, it is also regarded as one of the best cash crops in view of its short gestation period and the regular returns the farmer gets.  

In keeping with the National Programme for Rural Industrialization, the CSB has been implementing various Cluster Development Projects for Sericulture in Kerala, Bihar , Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram , Assam , West Bengal etc.  This is an integrated approach to develop sericulture, deriving benefits from a set of ideally suited Catalytic Development Schemes and dove-tailing them with the various Welfare Schemes of the State through convergence with other Rural Development Programmes at the village / mandal / block / district level.  

           In view of the above, the Central Silk Board which is represented by Govt. of India, Members of Parliament and other stakeholders at its Meeting, held on 25-05-2006, has suggested to include various sericultural activities with the  NREGA programme of the Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India (with the coordination  of States) in the  identified districts.  In respect of all 27 states, 200 districts have been taken up initially under NREGA (List attached).  

The Directors of Sericulture of all the states have been requested to draw up a suitable plan of action in coordination with the concerned Department of the State, to include various sericulture activities under the NREGA, so as to ensure guarantee of generation of rural employment as envisaged under the programme, and also enhance production and productivity of different varieties of silk in the country.