PATNA: To counter the growing shortage of hands farmers of Punjab have adopted a novel method. They are reportedly offering free cell phones to lure the farm labourers from Bihar and other eastern states.

Though officials are quick to credit the NREGA for the slowdown in migration from Bihar to Punjab, the fact is that NREGA is not a succuess story in Bihar. Instead of 100 days work it is hardly providing 10 days work in the state. Other factors like job at higher wages and boom in construction business in other states are factors responsible for it.

However, Rita Sharma, secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, recently said that the shortage of migrant workers from Bihar is an indicator of greater availability of jobs in their own state under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).

"The traditional migration did not happen and farmers from Punjab tell us that they are luring workers from Bihar by offering incentives like cell phones," she said at a national level interaction on Implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

However, she conceded that lack of transparency in the implementation of the NREGS as a major challenge.