Bengal's Nadia tops in MGNREGA implementation

West Bengal's Nadia district has topped the country in implementing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme this year, the Ministry of Rural Development informed.

Dibyendu Sarkar Commissioner of Panchayats and Rural Development Department will attend the function at Vigyan Bhavan on June 19 to receive the award where Union Minister for Rural Development Narendra Singh Tomar will hand over the prize to the winning states.

In 2016, the undivided Burdwan district had topped the list in implementing MGNREGA scheme.

This has happened at a time when senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, including its National President Amit Shah, had criticised Bengal for its failure to implement various projects and ruining the state.

The ministry follows a strict method to select the best district.

Various districts submit a presentation which is checked by a committee headed by Satish Agnihotri, a professor of IIT, Delhi. Then a team is sent to the district to verify the claims.

In asset creation and convergence under MGNREGA scheme, Bengal's performance has been lauded by the Centre.

It may be mentioned that many innovative productive schemes have been undertaken by Nadia district during the past two years.

The Sabujayan Project, which was named by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is world's single largest project of vetiver plantation for the protection of river embankments.