Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Jupally Krishna Rao on Monday asked the officials implementing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the State to ensure a minimum of 100 days of work to at least 60 per cent of wage seekers.
Speaking at the Telangana State Employment Guarantee Council meeting here, he asked the officials to provide at least 150 days of work to physically challenged persons under NREGS in a year. He promised to relax the norm of 100 days’ work to wage seekers working in government nurseries.
Mr. Krishna Rao, who is also Chairman of the Council, asked the officials to have the priority goal of ensuring at least 100 days’ wage work to a minimum of 60 per cent wage seekers before the end of current financial year. He stated that cement-concrete road works at an estimated cost of Rs.600 crore were sanctioned under material component funds and they were required to be availed before March 31.
Minister for Irrigation T. Harish Rao, a member of the Council, suggested that the job scheme be used for jungle clearance and silt removal in tanks restored under the first phase of Mission Kakatiya programme and other irrigation projects. The Irrigation Department would execute such works in case the required mandays were allotted to it.
Further, he suggested construction of tubs for drinking water to cattle and stressed the need to increase the amount of Rs.480 per tanker being given for watering Harita Haram plants. Ministers N. Narsimha Reddy, P. Srinivas Reddy and A. Chandulal also participated in the meetings as members of the Council.
Transfer likely
Meanwhile, Mr. Krishna Rao hinted that the government was examining the proposal for transfer of NREGS employees working at one place for more than three years. Giving incentives to employees working beyond their targets was also under consideration, he said. The State had requested the Centre to sanction 6 more crore mandays to Telangana under NREGS in addition to 10 crore already sanctioned for the year.
The Minister announced that the government was working towards achieving the goal of making Telangana 100 per cent open defecation-free (ODF) by October 2, 2018.
