Jairam Ramesh, the newly appointed rural development minister, has said a focused approach would be adopted to ensure that the benefits of the schemes under his ministry reach the people in Left wing extremism affected (LWE) districts of the country.

Outlining his priorities, the minister said that transparency and accountability hold the key to success of any program and it would be his endeavor to ensure that the needy and the poor in these areas are able to access their rights in time and in a transparent manner.

Regarding NREGA, he said that the focus would be on tackling the issues related to delays in payment of wages and timely release of funds .
The minister also underlined the need to create durable assets under NREGA.

Ramesh reviewed the progress under NREGA at Krishi Bhawan on Wednesday.

The minister also took stock of the progress of the BPL and caste census with the officials of the ministry and the representatives of national advisory council. The BPL and caste census is being undertaken with the help of over 6 lakh enumerators across the country and field operations are likely to be over by the year end.

Reviewing the performance under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Ramesh said that expanding rural road connectivity with quality roads would be a priority with the focus on LWE districts.

Ramesh took over as the union minister for rural development at Krishi Bhawan on Tuesday. He was earlier the minister of state (independent charge) for environment and forests.