BHUBANESWAR: In a major push to generate more livelihood activities through wage employment in rural areas in the post-lockdown period, the State Government on Wednesday directed Collectors to take up more labour intensive projects under MGNREGS and Odisha Livelihood Mission (OLM). Departments of forest and environment, soil conservation, horticulture, sericulture, fisheries and animal resource development, agriculture and ST and SC development will identify projects under the two schemes for enhancing daily labour engagement in view of the huge influx of migrant labourers.
The plans to be followed for boosting up projects and their implementation were discussed at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy here. The meeting also discussed strategy for enhancing the mandays generation from 12 lakh to 20 lakh per day by May 31. Each of the department was asked to fix weekly mandays target and monitor the same closely.Development Commissioner Suresh Mahapatra directed the officials to plan the projects in such a manner that the scale of mandays generation does not come down during the rainy season.
While 3,36,388 migrants have returned so far, the Government is making provisions so that they can also join in the scheme from their home towns, if they want to enrol in MGNREGA. The Panchayati Raj department will start issuing new job cards to the willing migrant workers. The departments were asked to plan the projects so as to create sustainable livelihood community assets in different sectors of rural economy.
The mineral bearing districts were asked to implement more projects out of funds available in DMF for creation of wage employment under MGNREGS. The Collectors have been asked to start at least two works in each village by the first week of June. Employment intensive projects like farm pond, nutri-garden, trench around all forest areas, large-scale plantation, stop dam, fodder cultivation, horticulture, sericulture and watershed development will be taken up by department concerned.
Employment generation
Govt to increase mandays from 12 lakh to 20 lakh per day by May 31
Panchayati Raj department will start issuing new job cards to migrant workers
Nutri-garden, plantation, stop dam, fodder cultivation, horticulture, sericulture etc will be taken up
3,36,388 migrant workers have returned to the State so far