Patna: Describing funds under the central flagship programme Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Guarantee Act (MNREGA) as a 'flexi fund', Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said the states were free to use the scheme for all rural works.
"The MNGERA is a flexi fund that can be used by the states for all types of rural development works," he said at the release of a book 'Leveraging MNREGA for Flood Control: A Case for Police Reform in Bihar'.
The states were free to use funds allocated to them under MNREGA as per their local needs for rural development works keeping in mind the central scheme's primary objective of guaranteed employment generation for the rural and poor people, he said.
Ramesh said he was aware that a number of states were utilizing MNREGA funds for development of rural infrastructure to suit their local needs and he would have no problem with other states also doing the same.
Referring to Bihar government's plea for utilization of MNREGA funds for flood control measures at the grassroot level, Ramesh said it was a 'wonderful idea'.
"Let all states utilize the MNREGA funds to create rural infrastructure to suit their local needs and the rural development department will continue its monitoring of the same as usual," he said.
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