Government keen on providing employment in rural areas, improve living standards: Alamgir Alam
Ranchi, September 22: “Government is focussed on employment generation through its various schemes to uplift standard of living of people in rural areas,” said Jharkhand rural development minister Alamgir Alam during launch of the ‘Gramin ki aas, MNREGA se vikash’ campaign at Ranchi on Wednesday.
“Under the leadership of chief minister Hemant Soren and keeping in mind the people of all sections and religions of the state, the rural development department is working on ensuring benefits of its various ambitious schemes reach beneficiaries in each village. We are engaged with commitment for economic and social change in the lives of villagers,’ said Alam.
“During Covid pandemic, people were connected with various schemes run by the department and MGNREGA was the mainstay of rural people and the increased participation of people in MGNREGA scheme has made us hopeful. Our government is laying special emphasis on using MNREGA scheme in agriculture, small and cottage industries, education, health and other sectors. Accelerated development in the remote rural areas of the state is possible only with direct and indirect participation of the people at the grassroot level,” added Alam.
The minister stressed that the development program campaign will run between September 22 and 15 December 2021 in selected 150 blocks of the state.
“After December 15, an assessment will be made about the achievement of the objectives of the program, then further preparations will be made for increasing more number of blocks in the campaign,” the minister said.
“For the protection and protection of Nilambar-Pitamber Jal Samridhi Yojana and Horticulture Scheme, our government changed the policies and strengthened it. Even after 14 years of MNREGA scheme, wells are not visible in all the fields. The condition of the goat sheds is bad. I would request all the officers to take the responsibility of ensuring implementation of all the schemes on the ground. The Block Development Officers (BDOs) have the most important responsibility of taking MNREGA schemes to the people they should keep monitoring and checking all the work continuously in their area and take corrective measures to check any irregularities,” said Alam.
The minister said that those officials who perform well will be commended by the government and those who are not up to the mark will receive flak.
“Though it is being run in 150 blocks but it can be extended to other blocks of the state by the district level committee as per the requirement. The main objective of “Gramin Ki Aas, MGNREGA Se Vikas” campaign is to ensure regular jobs, organize regular gram sabhas, increase in average man-days per family, issue/renew job cards, verify job cards, carry out continuous implementation of five to six schemes on an average in each village, complete the existing schemes, approval of adequate schemes in the gram panchayat, and uploading the presence of supervisors in the database,” said Alam.
Secretary rural development department, Manish Ranjan said that the campaign is important for implementation of the MGNREGA schemes more effectively in post Covid period.
“We have set a target of 10 per cent increase in MGNREGA works by December 15, 2021. Unfinished plans have to be completed. The main objective of this campaign will be to connect people with employment by creating more and more working days under MNREGA, complete the incomplete houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (gramin) along with completion of Baba Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana and incomplete Indira housing schemes by September,” said Ranjan.
He also informed that the state government plans to establish MNREGA parks in all the blocks under MNREGA. Under this, all the schemes of MNREGA have to be included in one place on 15-20 acres of land. He stressed on ensuring the quality of watershed schemes at all costs.
MNREGA commissioner Rajeshwari B, while highlighting the objectives of the campaign “Gramin Ki Aas, MNREGA Se Vikas” said goal of this campaign is to implement all the schemes of MNREGA in a time bound manner.
“Under the campaign, work will be done to bring the schemes at the ground level completely by organizing continuous meetings and workshops at district, block and panchayat level for PM Awas Yojana Rural. Nearly 40 lakh workers of the state should be motivated under this campaign and connected with new schemes of MNREGA. We will also inform the workers that MGNREGA working day rate has now increased from Rs 198 to Rs 225,” said Rajeshwari.
He said that PM Awas and Anganwadi building construction and some works of 15th Finance Commission are currently being done under MNREGA.
