The demand for work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is negligible in at least six districts of the State in the first half of this financial year.
Less than 10 families/households completed 100 days of works under the job scheme in five districts — Chikmagalur (8), Udupi (0) Gadag (8), Kodagu (7), Uttara Kannada (1) and Yadgir (9).
The MNREGA mandates 100 days of employment per household for doing unskilled work on demand a year.
A total of 3,822 families completed 100 days work in 2012-13 in Yadgir, 365 in Uttara Kannada, 96 in Udupi, 187 in Chikmagalur, 1,596 in Gadag, and 426 in Kodagu.
In the first six months of 2013-14, Raichur district topped the list with 581 families completing 10 days work, followed by Bagalkot (559), Tumkur (558), Davangere (545) and Dharwad (428). A total of 4,905 families had availed 100 days of work in the State in the first six months of the 2012-13, according to official sources.
Teams
Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj H.K. Patil, who reviewed the performance of the job scheme on Thursday, has decided to send an official team from Bangalore to districts that have been lagging in the execution of MNREGA. “Successful implementation of the scheme depends on the leadership at the zilla panchayat level,” an official told The Hindu .
As much as Rs. 3,500 crore, which was sanctioned to the State under the scheme, lapsed in the last five-year period. ZP CEOs have been instructed to take steps to ensure full utilisation of the amount this year. The State had been allocated Rs. 1,490 crore in 2013-14. So far, Rs. 710 crore has been spent. A decision has been taken to submit a proposal to the Centre seeking release of the second instalment, Mr. Patil said.
