KORAPUT: The administration aspires to create assets and employment wage of at least Rs 1.50 crore in each of the 226 panchayats in Odisha's Koraput district under the centrally sponsored Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in 2016-17.
Officials are hopeful that by spending Rs 340 crore at panchayat level not only assets could be created but also ample employment will be generated in rural areas. It will help check migration of labour force to other states from the district, official sources said.
The BDOs of the 14 blocks in the district have given a target to spend Rs 1.5 crore in each panchayat within March 31,2017, Koraput district Collector Jaya Kumar V said.
Ratings of BDOs will be done in accordance with the achievement of the target fixed by administration, he added.
Under MGNREGS, 40 per cent of the total funds is spent on creating assets while wages account for the remaining 60 percent. The administration has asked the BDOs to take up works like land development, construction of check dams, field channels and earthen roads and plantation.
"Though we have given a target of Rs 1.50 crore to be spent on each panchayat, but there is no cap and more than the targeted fund could also be spent," the collector clarified.
According to him, special attention will be given to Maoist-hit blocks like Narayanpatna, Bandhugaon, Lamataput, Boipariguda and Laxmipur. Also, under the title District Aspiration the aministration ahs targeted to construct 1 lakh individual household toilets under the Swach Bharat Mission, make Koraput cataract free, empower at least 5,000 disabled persons through livelihood support and provide street lights at all panchayat headquarters.
Also, target has been set to promote community health and create awareness against communicable and non-communicable diseases, decrease IMR and MMR by 50 per cent and promote tourism in the district this fiscal.