RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh has emerged as the best performing state in the country when it comes to providing jobs under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) amid the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.
The state has generated employment for 18.52 lakh labourers in the period during which the lockdown has been in place.
According to the union rural development ministry statistics, among the total village workers employed under MNREGA across the country, around 24 percent of them were employed in Chhattisgarh under the scheme, the highest in the country.
Despite the lockdown, 18,51,536 workers carried out various MNREGA day jobs in 9883 gram panchayats in the state.
Chhattisgarh panchayat minister T S Singhdeo applauded the active role and swift action taken by the sarpanches for better implementation of the MNREGA works and underlined the efforts of the state government in safeguarding the livelihoods of villagers and securing the rural economy even during the lockdown.
"The combined endeavours by all got the national attention," he stated.
Rajasthan came second by providing employment to 14 percent (10,79,000 workers) of labourers followed by Uttar Pradesh in third rank at 12 percent (9,06,378 workers) and West Bengal at fourth with 7,29,000 workers.
Chhattisgarh has also been able to check the spread of COVID-19 across the state with only five active cases remaining under treatment at Raipur AIIMS.