'State well ahead of counterparts in implementing MGNREGA projects'

Kolkata: The Centre has appreciated the work of Panchayats and Rural Development department in convergence, individual benefit schemes, livelihood programmes and utilisation of wastelands through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme.

Senior officials of the ministry of Rural Development who had come to Bengal on a three-day tour said the state is far ahead of its counterparts in implementing these projects smoothly and efficiently.

Aparajita Sarengi, Joint Secretary, ministry of Rural Development in charge of MGNREGA has appreciated the schemes taken up by the Panchayats and Rural Development department.

Sarengi, along with 13 senior officials of the ministry of Rural Development and representatives of nine states, visited some of the projects. The states that took part in the Inter-State Exchange Programme included Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Odisha, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. Forty-nine officials from these states took part in the programme.

The officials took part in the concluding session at a star hotel in New Town on January 12. Subrata Mukherjee, minister for Panchayats and Rural Development and Saurabh Das, Additional Chief Secretary of the department were also present at the valedictory session. The team visited an Eco-Tourism park that has come up at Galsi block II in East Burdwan under the MGNREGA scheme. The officials were divided into five teams and visited some projects in West Burdwan's Andal. Another team visited three blocks, namely Rajnagar, Dubrajpur and Bolpur in Birbhum district. The third team visited Onda and Ranibadh in Bankura district while the fourth and the fifth teams visited Hura and Raghunathpur in Purulia and Binpur in Jhargram district.

The teams were amazed to see how a wasteland covering an area of 200 acres has been revived through the plantation. The livelihood programmes involving the Self-Help Groups (SHGs) received high appreciation from senior officials along with the utilisation of wastelands along with the schemes which have been beneficial individually.

It may be mentioned that construction of rural roads has connected them with the National Highways. Steps have also been taken to ensure that every rural home has a toilet by March 2019 and tap water in every rural household by 2021. These steps have brought major changes in rural life and enhanced business activities in the villages.