Unanimous Decision taken during the Fourth Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog yesterday

Government has set up a Chief Ministers Subgroup to Coordinate Policy Approaches for Agriculture and MGNREGS with the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh as the Convener and CMs of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Sikkim along with the Member NITI Aayog, Shri Ramesh Chand as its members. The move comes in the backdrop of the vision of the Prime Minister towards Doubling Farmers’ Income by 2022 which requires a multi-dimensional and inclusive approach. It comes close on the heels of the unanimous decision taken at the 4^th meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog on 17^thJune. During the deliberations 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 incomes of farmers and reduce agrarian distress. 

 The Prime Minister nominated the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh to convene a Sub-Group of seven Chief Ministers for coordinated policy approach on the Agriculture Sector and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).Subsequently the Chief Ministers Sub-Group has been constituted with the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh as its Convener. The Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Sikkim, and Shri Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog, have been named has Members of the Sub-Group. The Sub-Group will be serviced by the NITI Aayog.

 Terms of Reference of the Sub-Group has tentatively been assigned as follows:

(i)   To suggest a wider choice of State specific interventions both for pre-sowing and post-harvest to further improve the thrust on incomes, water conservation and waste to wealth.

(ii)  To align works under MGNREGS fully to the requirements of achieving the goal of Doubling Farmers’ Income by 2022.  This will improve thrust on Water Conservation, individual Beneficiary Schemes, Construction of Rural Haats, Vermi-Composting etc.

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

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

(v)    To suggest ways of aligning MGNREGS and its livelihood thrust with women Self Help Groups (SHGs), producer Groups, and Producer Companies to enable a better use of resources for livelihood.

(vi)   To explore successful convergence of program resources across Departments to ensure optimal fund utilization, efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability.

The Sub-Group will submit its report within three months from its date of constitution. The first meeting of the Sub-Group is expected to be held within the next month, as per the convenience of the Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh.

Coordinated MGNREGS and agriculture policy to align works and livelihoods with farmer income enhancement goals through state interventions and convergence. A Sub-Group of Chief Ministers, convened by the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and serviced by NITI Aayog, will coordinate state-level policy integration of agriculture and MGNREGS to support Doubling Farmers' Income. Its Terms of Reference direct it to propose state-specific pre-sowing and post-harvest interventions, align MGNREGS works with income objectives and livelihoods (including water conservation, beneficiary schemes, rural haats and vermi-composting), address agrarian distress factors such as work availability and wages, promote livelihood diversification for small and marginal farmers, link MGNREGS with women's SHGs and producer entities, and pursue cross-departmental convergence. The Sub-Group must submit a report within three months.