GUNTUR: Enhancing the livelihood of the unskilled rural labour in Bapatla district, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) works in the district are progressing exponentially, as over 4,000 works worth Rs 100 crore have been completed so far in the last two months.
Setting up a target of providing 73 lakh working days to the people of the district during the 2023-24 financial year, District Water Management Agency (DWMA) officials have surpassed the target by providing 38.5 lakh work days, which is over 53%, just the first two months of the financial year.
Striking a balance by providing employment to the rural poor and developing the district, the officials have conducted grama sabhas to identify various works at ground level and provide more work days to the MGNREGA workers.
As part of it, they identified works worth Rs 300 crore, including the construction of CC roads, renovation of ponds, beautification works, farm ponds construction, channel renovations, construction of RBKs in village and ward secretariat, health clinics, and digital library buildings. Apart from this, cultivating various fruits on over 500 acres is also in progress.
To improve groundwater levels and prevent water scarcity in the future, the officials are prioritising water conservation works and are renovating ponds in the district under the Amrit Sarovar project.
The officials are also planning to complete the remaining 41,000 works worth Rs 200 crore, which are in various phases, in the next ten months. If the works were completed in the stipulated time, the government would allot additional material component works worth Rs 160 crore, which further helps in the development of the district and cater to the betterment of the rural poor.