Ramdeh (Uttar Pradesh), Apr 2 : Uttar Pradesh state authorities have undertaken a pond digging project in Ramdeh village to provide both employment to villagers, and also solve the area''s water woes.

The project has been launched under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) promoted by the Ministry of rural Development.

Rameshwari, a village woman, said she has benefited from this scheme.

"Earlier, I used to work as a farm labourer and used to look after my cattle. My husband has expired. I don''t have land or property. But NREGA has proved a blessing for me. With the money, I earn from this scheme, I am able to educate my children and feed them properly," said Rameshwari.

S. N. Chaudhry, the District Development Officer of Ramdeh village, said unskilled labourers working under this scheme are guaranteed a minimum wage of Rs 100 for seven hours of work.

"The main aim of NREGA was to provide employment to the villagers at the local level so that they don''t migrate from the villages. Under this Act, the unskilled labourers work as daily wagers near their homes. They earn a minimum wage as the government has fixed Rs. 100 for seven hours of work. The amount of work is set by the government," sad Chaudhry.

Union Minister for Rural Development Raghuvansh Prasad Singh recently said that 2.7 million households have already been given employment for hundred days in the first phase of the NREGA scheme.

Around 3.6 million more households benefited in the second phase and another 2.7 million households in the third phase of the implementation of the scheme.

According to data available, 49 per cent of women, 30 per cent of Scheduled Castes and 25 per cent of Scheduled Tribes have benefited from the scheme so far.

In fact, this scheme, aims to tackle the problem of rural unemployment. It has also encouraged traditional handicraft industries, like textile weaving and bamboo work.

With elections round the corner, the effort is to spread awareness among rural households about their legal right to hundred days of employment every year under the scheme. (ANI)