MGNREGS gets 97% coverage in the year 2016-17: Udupi DC

The innovative concept adopted to promote the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Programme (MGNREGS) in the district is yielding good results with 97 per cent coverage for the year 2016-17.

Zilla Panchayat CEO and Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis told DH that the target man days for 2016-17 was 5.22 lakh and 5.08 lakh man days are covered.

Comparing the previous data, the district had only achieved 2.44 lakh man days in 2015-16, 2.04 lakh man days in 2014-15 and 2.20 lakh man days in 2013-14. The amount spent on projects is Rs 15.86 crore in 2016-17, Rs 5.47 crore in 2015-16, Rs 4.95 crore in 2014-15 and Rs 4.26 crore in 2013-14. The material expenditure for the year is Rs 1.56 crore, while Rs 12.56 crore was expended as wage payment. The man days generated in Karkala taluk is 0. 94 lakh, in Kundapur is 2.25 lakh and Udupi is 1.61 lakh. According to official source, already 240 families have completed 100 days of employment in the district with 53,459 job cards issued with 14,580 active job cards.

The overall progress in the MGNREGS was witnessed after involving the Line Departments while augmenting the progress in the district. The departments were made the implementing agencies and spent Rs 1.49 crore on the programmes. Greater progress came from Horticulture Department, which generated 37,610 man days and spent Rs 0.98 crore. The programmes taken up were area expansion and formation of plantations (like arecanut, coconut, cashew nut and pepper). Around 548 farmers were benefited.

The concept of Nutri garden was introduced in anganawadis in 2016-17, covering 621 anganawadis; of 26 anganawadi construction works taken up, nine have commenced. Francis said work on 39 farm ponds was taken up and 16 are already completed while 47 ponds are desilted. Of the 921 cattle sheds taken up, 640 are completed; 10 playgrounds are completed. She added that 1,173 houses constructed under various schemes were converged with MGNREGS and 90 working days for each house was ensured. The work for 44 borewell recharging structure and 500 irrigation wells is completed, which is the most sought out. A family can be insured for up to Rs 85,000 under MGNREGS.

Elaborating on the programme envisioned for 2017-18, Francis said an action plan for 5.44 crore man days is approved. Already 7,000 man days are completed. The focus for the year would be underground recharging structures like farm ponds and vented dams and also desilting of the tanks, she said.
DH News Service