The Centre has allowed taking up creation of community assets like underground drainage, CC roads in villages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS).
With this provision the gram panchayat need not depend exclusively on its revenues for taking up development works. The Centre has allocated Rs. 6,000 crore to the State under the MNREGS and is considering allocating another Rs 1,000 crore to the State. The Centre also releases up to 40 per cent of the amount paid as wages as material component.
In the last year Visakhapatnam district has paid on an average Rs. 134 as daily wages resulting in a loss of at least Rs. 40 towards material component.
The MDOs should group the job card holders into different categories to ensure higher productivity and higher wages, Commissioner of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development B. Ramanjaneyulu told officials at a review meeting here.
Grouping
The job card holders up to 50 years of age could be in one group and those between 50 and 65 in another group, similarly pregnant women, elderly, infirm and physically challenged could be formed into separate groups. This would also inspire others in the group to work well. He urged the officials to ensure that all those seeking work were given wage labour under the MNREGS. He suggested that the youth be motivated to take up tasks that interest them and also ask those who are not willing to take up wage employment to do shramdaan. Visakhapatnam District Collector N. Yuvaraj asked the officials to work out a plan in consultation with the villagers for more works to be taken up under the MNREGS. The officials should ensure that the wages were paid within three days, he added.
DWMA Project Director Sriramulu Naidu, Additional Commissioner PR & RD M Sudhakar Rao, Joint Collector-2 D.V. Reddy, DRDA PD Satyasai Srinivas, DPI Venkateswara Rao and others were present.
Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu holds review meeting with officials
