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Bengal

Bengal creates over 11 cr man-days in 3 months

Kolkata: The Mamata Banerjee government has created 11.53 crore man-days under the MGNREGA scheme in just first three months of the 2020-21 financial year.

Following the direction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the state Panchayats and Rural Development department had taken up a series of steps to ensure proper implementation of the scheme to rejuvenate the rural economy that had nosedived due to the lockdown. She had directed to provide jobs even to migrant workers who had returned from different parts of the country.

The 10 crore man-days mark was crossed in just the initial three months of

this fiscal, 151.72 per cent implementation of the work as per the proportionate labour budget.

According to a senior officer of the department, the approved labour budget is Rs 22 crore and work of 52.44 per cent of the same has been implemented so far.

The state Panchayats and Rural Development minister, Subrata Mukherjee, said: "Yes, we have crossed the 10 crore-mark in creating man-days

as we have put in all effort to help the rural populace of the state get jobs as maximum as possible during this time of crisis."

"This time of year, that is Arpil to July, is usually considered as a lean period in terms of creation of man-days under MGNREGA. Most of it every year usually takes place in the month of January, February and March.

"But this time there was the creation of 11.53 crore man-days at this lean period only. The reason being people in the rural parts of the state was in need of jobs and at the same time all efforts were given by the state government in helping them to get the same," said an official.

In April, the Centre had reduced the set target of 100-days work scheme for Bengal by 6 crore "on interim basis" considering that it is not possible to meet the target as there will be no creation of usual man-days during the lockdown situation due to COVID-19. It has once again been reinstated to the actual target of 28 crore. But the state government has not set any target and is trying to create maximum man-days as possible.

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