Terming the National Rural Employment Grantee Act as a "story worth telling", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the issue of delayed payment to workers under the programme should be addressed at the earliest and sought concurrent audit of rural development schemes "I am surprised to hear from (Rural Development Minister) Jairam Ramesh that concurrent evaluation processes are not in good shape. When I was in the Planning Commission long ago, I think we have started the programme of concurrent evaluation for number of programmes of rural development.

"I don't know why they are languishing, if they are at all languishing. But I would request (Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia to apply his mind to making good this deficiency as well," he said.

Both Ramesh and Ahluwalia were present at the programme. Singh was addressing a programme here to mark the release of 'MGNREGA Sameeksha', an anthology of research study on UPA's flagship scheme.