NREGS is an important cushion for poor: World Bank

NEW DELHI: The World Bank on Monday said the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) is an important safety net programme providing livelihood security to the poor in rural areas, a position that is at variance with the 'World Development Report' 2009.

"India is fortunate to have in place a programme that people can fall back on to find work in these hard times," World Bank country director for India Roberto Zagha said in a statement while commenting on media reports that quoted a study of the bank saying that NREGS was a policy barrier to mobility of workforce in India.

The WDR 2009, it added, "focuses on the long-term impact of migration on development and stresses the importance of reducing barriers to voluntary movement of people seeking better opportunities".

The NREGS, it said, is an important cushion for poor people living in rural areas who might be at risk of being pushed into poverty.

"Such programmes have taken on an even greater significance at a time of global economic downturn," it said in the statement.