Govt. banking on job scheme to fight poverty: Minister

: The State government wants to utilise the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS to the full to reduce poverty in the State and provide itself with infrastructure and assets on a large scale, Minister for Rural Development Kimidi Mrinalini said at a State-level review meeting on NREGS, NTR Jala Siri and watersheds here on Tuesday.

“Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is determined to use every rupee of the scheme to be utilised for the good of the people after we found that Rs. 5,400 crore was taken back during the previous government’s rule as it failed to spend the money,” Dr. Mrinalini said.

Pat for PDs

She and Commissioner (rural development) B. Ramanjaneyulu appreciated the Project Directors of District Water Management Agencies (DWMAs) of 13 districts of the State standing in the first three positions in different parameters in completing works under NREGS. Additional PDs of watershed programmes and State Project Managers Balasubrahmanyam, Kalyana Chakravarthi and Siva Prasad also attended the review meeting.

The Minister and Commissioner discussed the works being done in each wing in each district. Minister for Panchyat Raj Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu could not attend as he was not well.

The Minister also advised the officials to maintain good relations with the people’s representatives of their areas so that some issues which they cannot solve could be entrusted to the people’s representatives who would pursue with the government.

Record effort

The State has set a record in laying 3,800 running km of CC roads in 65 days, the Minister and Commissioner noted and wanted the 4,000-km target set for this year achieved with the same ease. The Project Directors were also told to reach the targets of creating six lakh farm ponds and two lakh vermicompost yards.

The PDs were told to complete electrification of 2,028 borewells in the State by month-end under phase I of the NTR Jala Siri project and take up and complete work on the 1.24 lakh borewells under phase II by June-end to provide water to the crops during Kharif season.

Mr. Ramanjaneyulu while clarifying several points, said the approval given by the Grama Sabha and not the Gram Panchayat is the final decision on an work to be taken up in a village.

He also wanted the PDs to give a thought to have a separate engineering wing for the RD Department by taking engineering as staff on deputation from the PR Department so that works are not delayed.