VIJAYAWADA: The coalition government in the State, led by Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, has made significant strides in resolving long-pending Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) bills from 2014–19, which were stalled by the YSRCP regime.
The coalition government has undertaken phased disbursal of Rs 329 crore for total pending MGNREGS bills withheld by the YSRCP. With the upcoming Rs 145 crore payment, almost Rs 250 crore will be cleared, providing relief to thousands of rural workers awaiting payments for small-scale projects.
Nearly 3,54,177 works have been allegedly closed during YSRCP regime without clearing payments, a move the coalition government has labelled deliberate. Since assuming power in 2024, the coalition has prioritised it, with Naidu holding multiple discussions with Central authorities to remove obstacles to disburse funds.
As a result, the closed works were reclassified as ongoing, enabling payments to proceed. On Wednesday, the CM reviewed the progress at the Secretariat, where officials confirmed that 5.54 lakh works, worth Rs 179.38 crore in pending bills, had been registered as ongoing. The Panchayati Raj Department completed preparations to disburse Rs 145 crore, which the Finance Department transferred to the National Informatics Centre (NIC). These funds are set to be credited to the accounts of small contractors and villagers who executed the works by August 23.
However, some payments remain pending due to technical issues, including missing estimations, unrecorded expenses, and works in areas now merged with urban regions. The YSRCP regime marked some bills as unpaid despite not releasing funds, creating hurdles. The CM directed officials to address these challenges promptly.
Naidu’s year-long focus and regular reviews have been instrumental in resolving the issue.