(This story originally appeared in on Jul 31, 2014)

NEW DELHI: In its first step towards restructuring MGNREGA, the government on Wednesday announced that the material-labour expenditure ratio in the scheme would be changed from 60:40% to 49:51%. This is in keeping with government's focus on asset creation along with job opportunities in the scheme.The government is also planning to monitor the work under the scheme through the use of space technology and provide wages to labourers directly through e-governance tools such as electronic fund management system.Replying to a discussion on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employement Guarantee Scheme ( MNREGA ) in the Lok Sabha , rural development minister Nitin Gadkari said he proposes to change the material-wage ratio of the scheme from 60:40 to 49:51 with a view to encouraging value addition."We want to increase the potential of value addition of the MNREGA scheme," he said, adding the ratio would now be decided at the district level instead of village level.Observing that the MNREGA scheme has various lapses as it was formulated by UPA government in "election hurry", Gadkari said he has received various representations and is trying to modify the scheme.Seeking to improve value addition in MNREGA, Gadkari said government proposes to modify the scheme and use space technology to check pilferages and corruption. He said he had already had meetings with a Hyderabad institute to operationalise this.On efforts to remove corruption, the minister said he would introduce a system of monitoring the flow of money for the scheme through a centralised electronic fund management system.Gadkari said his ministry is in the process of engaging a remote sensing organisation and use space technology to oversee the progress of the scheme.He felt the scheme can also be used for conserving river water 60 per cent of which go into the sea. This move, he added, could help solve the problem of drinking water in the country.Responding to the demand for abolishing the scheme, Gadkari said the government is committed to continuing with the programme as the name of Mahatma Gandhi is attached to it.Initiating the discussion on irregularities in MNREGA, BJP MP Bharatendra Singh said the implementation of the programme was shoddy. He claimed that in several states, job cards have not been prepared. He said while in several states the works initiated under the scheme have not been completed, there were states where workers have not been provided the guaranteed 100 days' of work.