MNREGA: Around 1.22 lakh families in Chhattisgarh got employment of more than 100 days

Raipur: In Chhattisgarh, 1,21,740 families have been provided employment of more than 100 days till date in current financial year of 2020-21, under MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme). Chhattisgarh ranks sixth in the country in terms of providing 100-day employment to maximum number of families. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, MNREGA and its convergence with other departmental schemes are being effectively implemented to provide employment to rural labourers and conserve their means of livelihood.

Large number of Forestland lease holder families in state are also being provided employment under MNREGA. This year, as many as 19 thousand 799 families have been provided employment of 100 days. Chhattisgarh ranks second after Odisha in terms of providing employment to forestland lease holder families. 23% of the forestlland lease holder families in the country who have been provided employment of 100 days under MNREGA are from Chhattisgah alone.

Panchayat and Rural Development Minister T S Singhdev had given instructions to implement MNREGA on a larger scale so as to keep the rural economy in motion during nationwide lock-down due to the pandemic. As a result, people in villages and forest areas continued to get work and the rural economy continued to run smoothly. In the first seven-eight months of the current financial year, MNREGA workers got more than 100 days of employment resulted in huge financial support. During this time, all precautions were taken along with measures to avoid corona infection at workplaces.

Kabirdham district is at the forefront of providing more than 100 days of employment to MNREGA workers in the state. So far this year, 8971 families have been provided more than 100 days of work in Kabirdham, 7780 in Rajnandgaon, 7088 in Bilaspur, 5802 in Dhamtari, 5506 in Raipur, 5348 in Balodabazar-Bhatapara, 5142 in Mungeli, 5012 in Sukma, 4918 in Jashpur, 4754 in Surajpur, 4729 in Korea, 4345 in Bastar, 4172 in Raigarh, 4168 families in Mahasamund and 4158 families in Balrampur-Ramanujganj have worked more than 100 days under the scheme.

This year 3917 in Gariaband district, 3805 in Kondagaon, 3791 in Bijapur, 3697 in Kanker, 3621 in Dantewada, 3492 in Gorella-Pendra-Marwahi, 3268 in Janjgir-Champa, 3026 in Korba, 3000 in Balod, 2449 in Bemetara, 2260 families in Surguja, 2181 in Durg and 1340 families in Narayanpur have been provided more than 100 days of employment.

Under the MNREGA, a large number of forest rights holders are also being given work. More than 100 days of employment has been provided to 19,799 such families in

the state.