Give jobs to flood-hit: Congress tells Mayawati

LUCKNOW - The Congress Sunday urged Uttar Pradesh’s Mayawati government to give jobs under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) to villagers displaced by the floods in the area of their temporary rehabilitation.

State Congress leader Sanjay Dixit, a member of the Central Employment Guarantee Council, said in a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Sunday that flood victims should be issued temporary cards to avail benefits of the scheme.

The letter, faxed to the chief minister Sunday, said that an amendment to the employment guarantee law needed to enable people displaced by floods take up jobs in the area of their temporary stay.

“We understand that nearly 20 districts of the state are affected by floods, forcing lakhs of people to shift to safer areas,” he said.

“In order to ensure that they continue to get an opportunity to avail employment under the NREGS, they may be issued temporary cards, which could be cancelled once they returned to their original homes,” Dixit said in the letter.

Widespread heavy downpour has led to steep rise in the level of most state rivers, flooding vast areas and affecting millions of people. At least 16 people have reportedly died on account of the rains and floods.