Silchar, September 03, 2009: The Centre government has decided to raise the number of job days to 200 days a year under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) even as the state Congress Legislature party has decided to press the Centre for the same.

Apart from this, the Centre has also decided to give reliefs to farmers under National Calamity Fund (NCF).

The decision is said to come as a step to fight against drought-like situation.

An official in the Agriculture department said the Union Government has decided to raise the workdays under NREGA to 200 days against the existing hundred days as a measure to tackle the drought-like situation.

This will obviously benefit the state.

Apart from this, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has also decided to revise the norms of implementation of funds under the National Calamity Fund (NCF) and National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF) in order to give maximum relief-benefits to the farmers.

The reliefs under the revision will include providing diesel at subsidised rate, to exempt farmers from paying electric fee, to provide water in the fields, the official said.

Funds under the NCF will be released after the state government submits the proposal to the Centre.

It may be mentioned that 272 districts in India including the nine districts of Manipur have been declared drought-hit recently by the Union Government.

The Centre is also said to release Rs 600 crore for the construction 8 lakh new bore wells from the NCCF.

It has also been reported that all the 300 MPs � whose respective constituency has been affected by poor monsoons � are instructed to distribute their MPLAD Funds to farmers for the construction of water harvesting plant and tubewells.

The Manipur government is said to have reserved Rs 2,450 crore for the installation of Rain Water Harvesting system at drought hit places under Integrated Watershed Development Programme, said the official.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has also taken a decision to hold meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Group�instituted by the Central government to tackle the drought-like situation � on weekly basis.

The CCEA is also reported to have instructed the respective state governments to prepare action plan on drought situation.

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