MGNREGS: Installation of individual boards yet to complete

Even after five years of implementing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in Dakshina Kannada district, the work on installing individual boards in the work site has not been completed.

The MGNREGS Act makes installation of individual boards compulsory. However, works on this line has not started in full swing. Barring a few gram panchayats, many are yet to install the individual boards of the work take up two years ago.

“The idea of installing the information boards is to bring in transparency in implementation of work. If individual boards are installed, then the misappropriation could be curtailed to some extent,” said MGNREGS Ombudsman Sheena Shetty.
The installation of dynamic boards in all the 203 gram panchayats has been completed in the district.

 While one side of the board has information on the work undertaken and details on expenditure details, the other side of the board provides details on the MGNREGS Act.
Majority of the gram panchayats have used creativity while installing the dynamic boards. Use of colours and designs made the boards look beautiful.

Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendra

To expand the scope of work under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the Centre has included the construction of Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendra as a permissible activity under the Act, in its notification dated November 11, 2009, in all the Gram Panchayats.

Accordingly, in Dakshina Kannada, Kendra buildings have been completed in 80 gram panchayats. The work on 84 kendras are nearing completion.

The Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendra was sanctioned to 164 Gram Panchayats in Dakshina Kannada district. This include 47 in Bantwal, 34 in Belthangady, 38 in Mangalore, 22 in Puttur and 23 in Sullia. In Bantwal, 26 kendra buildings have been completed and 21 are under progress. In Belthangady taluk 10 have been completed, Mangalore-12, Puttur-20 and Sullia-12 have been completed.

The objective of the construction of RGSK is to provide dedicated office in every panchayat to take up the activities under MGNREGS. It will also work as a village knowledge resource centre and help in ensuring that the benefits of development work reach out to the needy and the poor in rural areas.