The government has set up a sub-group of Chief Ministers to coordinate policy approaches for agriculture and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the wake of a decision taken at the meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog on Sunday, according to an official statement. The group’s first meeting will be held next month and it will submit its report within three months.

The group will be headed by the CM of Madhya Pradesh, and include the CMs of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Sikkim, along with NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand.

It has been charged with the task of suggesting State specific interventions, both for pre-sowing and post-harvest to improve farmer incomes, water conservation and waste to wealth initiatives. It will recommend MGNREGS interventions to reduce agrarian distress, provide livelihood options for small farmers especially from SC/ST communities.