Scheme-based dev works: State to involve MGNREGA workers

Kolkata: The state Panchayats and Rural Development (P & RD) department has come out with a circular stating that all the departments of the state government will now engage MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) card holders in their various scheme-based development works in order to create additional job opportunities for them. They will be paid regular wages as per rates approved in the schemes.

The move comes with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while speaking at the administrative review meeting at West Midnapore suggesting involving MGNREGA workers in various government departments for certain non-technical work that goes on throughout the year. This will ensure that they get paid on a regular basis with the Centre not releasing funds for over four months for wage payment of MGNREGA workers.

In Bengal, wage payment of 100 days work is pending as the Union government is not releasing funds to the state to the tune of nearly Rs 6,500 crore — Rs 3,000 crore against wage liabilities and Rs 3,500 crore against non-wage liabilities. According to the circular employment details will be captured by the departments at the district level in a earmarked spread sheet format and will be imported to the portal which is being developed for this sole purpose.

The Additional District Magistrate will be the nodal officer of the district for this purpose.

Banerjee had slammed the Centre for not disbursing funds for 100 days work for more than 4 months and suggested creation of a crisis management fund for addressing the issues of non-payment of wages for MGNREGA workers and had asked Chief Secretary H K Dwivedi to constitute a committee so that they can come out with an alternative plan.

"Chief Minister's humanitarian face has again come to the forefront as involving the MGNREGA workers will ensure that they get paid on a regular basis for their hard toil," Pulak Roy, state P & RD minister said.

Bengal ranked first in providing employment of unskilled labourers in the country.

In the recently concluded fiscal, the state P&RD department has offered employment to 1,11,19765 people while 36,41,17876 mandays have been created under MGNREGA.

In the Union budget this year, the Centre allotted Rs Rs 73,000 crore for the rural job scheme, which is 25 per cent lower than Rs 98,000 crore, the revised estimate for the plan in the current fiscal.