VIJAYAWADA: With the State government completing the 20 crore person- days allocated under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantees Scheme (MGNREGS) for the 2021-22 fiscal, the Centre approved 1.50 crore more person -days to Andhra Pradesh. Officials of the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development department are of the view that as agricultural activities are going at brisk pace during the monsoon, the fresh allocation will be sufficient to provide work to the needy for some months as the number of persons turning up for MGNREGS works is low.
According to the officials of the department, as against 20 crore person days sanctioned for 2020-21, they have performed 20.44 crore person days by August 13 and informed the Centre and appealed to it to sanction more labour budget to the State. “Based on the trends with regard to the turnout of workers for MGNREGS works from September to December over the years, we have submitted proposals seeking more person days and the Centre allotted 1.50 crore more days,” an official of the Panchayat Raj department said.
Mostly, plantation activity is going at present and the number of workers turning up for works under MGNREGS is not more than three lakh, the official said, adding that once 90 per cent of the target is completed, they can seek more person-days.
When contacted, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Commissioner M Girija Shankar told TNIE that as the agricultural operations are going at a fast pace, it is lean season for the MGNREGS works and the 1.50 crore person days approved by the Centre would come in handy to meet the demand till December.“Once the MGNREGS works pick up momentum, probably from December, we will request for allocation of more person days to the State,” he added.