District Collector S. Venkitesapathy has directed the leaders of block and grama panchayats to ensure the settlement of pending wages due to workers of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (MGNREGS) before Onam.
Convening a meeting on the Collectorate premises on Thursday to review the progress of the scheme, Mr. Venkitesapathy called for efforts to contribute towards asset development through the ongoing activities. Additional workforce must be roped in and trained for activities in this direction. A set of instructions regarding the scheme’s implementation had been issued during a meeting of District Collectors that had been chaired by the Chief Secretary recently.
He observed that while numerous activities had been undertaken under the scheme, an enquiry conducted by the vigilance and monitoring committee had brought to light certain deficiencies in the implementation. Effective steps were required to rectify the inadequacies, he said.
While 12.08 per cent of the total expenditure had been used for procuring the required equipment during the previous fiscal, the share had come down to 1.5 per cent during the ongoing financial year. The scenario existed when 40 per cent of the total amount could be utilised for the purpose, as per the prescribed guidelines of the scheme.
Under the new set of guidelines, rainwater harvesting pits could be dug and the existing ones maintained, thereby creating additional employment opportunities. With efforts to undertake geo-referencing in the district on the cards, new avenues of job generation must be identified under the scheme, Mr. Venkitesapathy added.
A total of 41 grama panchayats in the district have completed the scrutiny and renewal of job cards. The meeting resolved to convene fortnightly review meetings in every local body and submit detailed reports to the District Collector on a regular basis.
Assistant development commissioner (general) P.S. Neelakanta Prasad, joint programme coordinator B. Premanand, and secretaries of local bodies and block development officers participated in the meeting.
