With the State government enhancing the material component amount for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the district administration has drawn an elaborate plan to utilise the funds to improve basic amenities and civic infrastructure in rural areas.
Material component
After the district stood first in the State in effective utilisation of the MGNREGS funds, the government has enhanced the material component amount from ₹311 crore in last fiscal to ₹377 crore this financial year.
The government has also allocated ₹377 crore towards the payment of wages to around 3.8 lakh beneficiaries. According to the district officials, as many as 115 playgrounds are being developed in schools under the scheme. Solid waste management units have been undertaken at 497 places. Around 164 villages have already got new burial grounds.
Allocation of more funds for material component is helping the district administration to lay CC roads in villages, constructing burial grounds, playgrounds, parks, drainage system, anganwadi centers and panchayat buildings, says District Water Management Agency Project Director of Boddepalli Rajagopala Rao who recently received an award from Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for Vizianagaram making it to the top in implementation of MGNREGS.
‘Migration checked’
“The improvement of civic infrastructure in rural area is helping villagers getting works under the scheme, thereby preventing their migration to cities for jobs. We are helping each wage seeker earn up to ₹340 a day. That is why the average wage payment has gone up to ₹211 when compared to ₹168 last year,” Mr. Rajagopala Rao told The Hindu .
With the directive of Collector Hari Jawaharlal, water management is also being given a top priority ahead of the rainy season, under this scheme. “Storage capacity of a majority of the tanks will be improved once the renovation works are over. As many as 3,384 new bore wells are also being dug up this year under Jala Siri programme,” he explained.
Public opinion
Meanwhile, the DWAMA officials have decided to take up works as per the local needs after eliciting suggestions from the people’s representatives. Suggestions from horticulture, forest, rural water supply, panchayat and other departments are also being sought in utilisation of MGNREGS funds. Focus is being laid on social audit to prevent the misuse of funds, according to Mr. Rajagopala Rao.
