Stating that her government has provided 33 days of work to people under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in West Bengal which is on a par with the national average, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday that State government aimed to achieve 60 days of work in the coming year.
Addressing a rally at Lalgarh in the State's Paschim Medinipur district, Ms. Banerjee said that the State government achieved 33 work days in just ten months. She said that prior to this only 18 days of work under the scheme was provided in the State.
“I have reduced the amount of earthwork from 99 cubic feet to 69 cubic feet. The government will further reduce the work for women working under the scheme and bring it to 60 cubic feet,” she said.
Pointing out that there were delays in the payment if wages under the scheme and sometimes wages were paid after a month, Ms. Banerjee said that the government was in discussion with banks so that the wages could be paid on a daily basis.
The State government planned to introduce biometric job cards to the beneficiaries of the MGNREGS to facilitate early payment for work done by them.
Ms. Banerjee promised that in the next five years all landless persons in the State would be brought under the project of “Nijo Bhumi Nijo Griha” (own land own house), under which the beneficiary was provided 3 cottah of land to build his own house.
Emphasising that she had delivered on all the promises made to the people, the Chief Minister said that the government distributed about 1,800 cycles to the schoolchildren in Jangalmahal region.
She said that the government planned to build four super speciality hospitals in Paschim Medinipur district and one medical college in Purulia district.
She also laid the foundation stone for the construction of a bridge of river Kansabati connecting Jhargram and Lalgarh and a 54-km railway line, connecting Bhadutola to Lalgarh and Jhargram in the district.
