Union rural development minister, Dr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh has said that closer and strict monitoring is the key for success of the rural development programmes. Dr Singh was addressing the last interactive session of recent series on rural development schemes with the members of Parliament from Bihar and Jharkhand in New Delhi.

Singh emphasised the need for the active participation of MPs in the task and said monitoring and guidance are required in the implementation of all the rural development programmes with full enthusiasm and efficacy. Through district vigilance and monitoring committees, the government has attempted for effective implementation of rural schemes, he added.

Eight central ministers and 21 MPs from Bihar and Jharkhand participated in this last interactive session of the current series. The ministers who attended the session are Ram Vilas Paswan, Subodh Kant Sahai,. Kanti Singh, Fatmi Mohammad Ali Ashraf, Taslimuddin. Ahmad Shakeel, Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav and. Akhilesh Prasad Singh. Chandrasekhar Sahu, minister of state for rural development was also present.

Paswan asked for powers to monitoring and vigilance committees'' chairmen for better compliance of committees'' proposals, unemployment wages to people who could not get under the NREG Act and centre funding the entire cost of Swajadhaara scheme.

Almost all MPs'' asked for houses for the flood-affected people under the Indira Awas Yojana scheme. They also pointed out discrepancies in the BPL lists and asked for a review to include those who have been left out from the list. The members called for further improvement in the quality of roads being constructed under the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). One of the members asked for increase the amount to Rs 50,000 to construct each house under the Indira Awas Yojana, while some asked for elevated tube wells in flood affected areas.

The series of inter active sessions that commenced since 20th August,2007 are credited as being an initiative launched by the minister for a face-to-face interaction with the MPs in separate batches so as to ensure effective implementation of rural schemes through greater participation by the elected representatives and also to apprise the MPs about different provisions of the rural schemes, the progress of various programmes in the concerned states, physical and financial achievements and also to get members valuable feedback and suggestions.
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