With 44.53% women participation, State creates 18.64 cr mandays in five months

Kolkata: More than 8.30 crore person-days have been created under the 100-days-work scheme for women in the rural parts of the state till date in 2020-21 fiscal.

The state Panchayats and Rural Development department has successfully created total 18.64 crore mandays in a record time of five months time of 2020-21 fiscal when many lost jobs due to the nationwide lockdown and it is the women who have created 44.53 per cent of the same.Following the guidelines set by the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, jobs were provided to women under the scheme. The quantum of work that women need to do was fixed as per their capacity.

At the end of the past four years it was found that something between 46 to 48 percent of the total person days under scheme was created by women. It was 47.86 in 2019-20, 48.12 in 2018-19, 47.59 in 2017-18 and 46.52 in 2016-17. "As the trend shows, this year too the percentage of persondays created by women will cross the mark of around 50 per cent by the end of the current financial year," said an official adding that all district authorities have also been directed to encourage women to take part in creation of mandays. With 84.77 per cent of the approved labour budget is being utilised, work of different schemes is being carried out with convergence of the 100 days work scheme. Citing an example, the official said that 90 mandays under MGNREGA is sanctioned for construction of each unit of Banglar Abas Yojona.

Similarly, there is convergence for constructing sheds for poultry farms, planting trees by the state Forest department

and for Horticulture sector as well.

At the same time as per the data prepared by the state Panchayat and Rural Development department, 29.1 percent mandays were created by scheduled caste and 8.54 percent by scheduled tribe populace.

Even 58,988 differently abled people were also engaged in MGNREGA scheme. Total 81.46 lakh individuals got benefitted so far. It include many migrant labourers as well.

Subrata Mukherjee, minister of the state Panchayats and Rural Development department, said: "Our government always take step to empower women and it is good that 44.53 percent of total 18.64 crore mandays created was done by women. It will be increased further and

districts will be directed accordingly."