Central NREGS official leaves after inspecting work sites and holding meetings

IMPHAL, Sep 26: Director of NREGS, Union ministry of rural development, Nitenchandra, today held a meeting with the deputy commissioners and district planning officers of the nine districts of Manipur at the concluding part his four-day visit to the state.

The director, NREGS and districts level officers discussed various problems and prospects ahead of the NREGS implementation in the respective districts, a source said.

Nitenchandra arrived in the state on September 24 and during his stay in the state also inspected works taken up in the state under the scheme at Wangoi, Sawombung blocks in Imphal west and east, and at Ukhrul district.

He inspected work places in Churachandpur today and after returning from there convened the meeting with the deputy commissioners and district planning officers at the conference hall of the old secretariat building.

He left Imphal before concluding the meeting, a source said.

Mention may be made that authorities of the Manipur government are planning to disburse the wages of the NREGS workers at the interior hill areas of the state where there are no banking facilities through the local post offices.

Postal authorities have been requested to open accounts for all NREGS workers, an official statement on the progress of the implementation of the National Rural Employment Generation Scheme, NREGS furnished to the Union cabinet secretary for cooperation Dr. Renuka Viswanathan at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi said.

“The state government will finalize agreement with the postal department and introduce payment of wages through post offices,” a statement furnished on September 2 regarding the action taken report on decision taken on core development issues in the state in a meeting under the chair of the Union secretary in June this year said.

Dr. Renuka intimated the state principal secretary to submit an action taken report on the decision taken during a meeting with the state officials on various core developmental works taken up in the state with the Centre’s funding during her visit to the state in June this year.

The Union secretary has also invited the state principal secretary planning, AP Sharma to attend a meeting at New Delhi on September 29 in connection with the action taken report.

The Manipur government decided to disburse the wages to beneficiaries through bank accounts or postal accounts with an objective to check unwanted elements like the militant groups cutting percentages from the wages at the distribution points.

In the four valley districts of the state where the implementation of the scheme commenced from this current financial year, the wages are paid through banks.

In the five hill districts including two districts which started the implementation of the scheme from this year, Ukhrul and Senapati districts, the banking and postal facilities are limited in the interior blocks.

Currently, wages in the hill areas are disbursed through the village councils.

Recently, the state cabinet has also cleared the engagement of field staff dedicated to NREGS for all nine districts and the process for engagement of the staff on contract basis in the districts is targeted to be completed by September, the source said.

The Centre has also released funds for first installment of Central share in respect of six districts for the year 2008-09 and district-wise availability of funds have also been worked out, it said.

A total of 1,09,567 job cards under NREGS have been provided in three hill districts, Tamenglong, Churachandpur and Chandel, of Manipur since commencement of the implementation from 2006-07, according to the latest status progress report of the state government.

A total of Rs. 6044.91 lakhs have been incurred during the period from 2006-07 till 2007-08 in providing wages to the job card holders in these three hill districts.

Mention may be made that implementation of the Centre’s flagship programme, NREGS was first started in Tamenglong district in 2006-07 after the district was listed among 100 most backward districts of the country.

A government statement showing the district-wise achievement under NREGS from 2006-07 to 2007-08 indicated that till 2007-08, a total of 40,118 job cards had been issued in Tamenglong district.

The figure was arrived at after the rectification of the discrepancy between the number of households provided employment and job cards issued in respect of Tamenglong district for the year 2006-07 and 2007-08.

The share of women beneficiaries under NREGS has increased during the year 2007-08 compared with that of 2006-07 in Tamenglong district.

In Chandel and Churachandpur districts where the implementation of the scheme started from 2007-08 simultaneously, 24344 and 45105 job cards respectively have been issued, the statement said.

As per the decision taken in a meeting between the Union secretary, cooperation and the state’s concerned officials in June this year, rural connectivity is a priority due to hilly terrain and inaccessibility of habitations in the districts. However, from 2008-09 onwards schemes relating to water conservation and water harvesting, minor irrigation development, etc. are being accorded due priority.