Bhubaneswar, Jan. 19: The state government today decided to broaden the scope of the Centre’s rural job scheme, under which 100 days jobs are guaranteed to daily wage earners.

It decided to provide 50 days more jobs to daily wage earners in migration-prone areas of Balangir and Nuapada districts from its own resources.

“We will write to the Centre to change the norms of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to provide wage employment to job seekers up to 150 days, wherever there is demand for employment. However, we will not wait for the Centre and provide employment for up to 50 additional days in migration-prone Balangir and Nuapada districts from our funds,” said state’s panchayati raj minister Kalpataru Das.

The minister said the Union rural development ministry had allowed provision of wage employment up to 150 days in a year under the scheme in some drought-prone areas in other states.

Nuapada and Balangir districts are prone to drought. Migration of workforce to neighbouring states from these two districts takes place every year. Last week, Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh had visited Nuapada and Kalahandi districts and announced the Indira Awas houses to primitive Dongria Kandha tribe community. He had also suggested the state government to submit proposals under various central schemes such as the Indira Awas Yojana, National Rural Livelihood Mission and the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.

Apparently to corner the credit, the State Employment Guarantee Mission, headed by chief minister Naveen Patnaik, today decided to propose the Centre to extend the scheme’s norm to 150 days.

Senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra described the state government’s move as “ another ploy to hoodwink the people”. Mishra said the Centre had already decided to increase the employment limit up to 150 days and was working out details.

“Probably, the state government got some information that the Centre was going to implement the decision shortly. That’s why the state government is making such a farce,” he said.

Ahead of elections, Naveen had announced several populist measures, including Rs 2 per kg rice and uniform, apart from bicycle to school students.

On December 15 last, the government gave Rs 200 to all old age, widow and disabled persons to purchase winter clothes.