GUNTUR: The District Water Management Authority (DWMA) officials of Guntur have surpassed the target by providing nearly 30 lakh work days as part of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and have achieved 107.94% in the 2022-23 financial year, the highest in the past few years.
The officials had set a target to create 29 lakh work days in the 2022-23 financial year and had conducted gram sabhas to identify the works.
Along with technical assistants of MGNREGS, animal husbandry, fisheries agriculture department secretaries, engineering assistants, surveyors, volunteers, and field assistants were involved in the process of identification of the works. The officials have given priority to identifying agriculture-related works, including cultivating various fruits, greenery, and water conservation works.
Out of the set target of 29 lakh, the officials have surpassed and provided over 30 lakh work days. In this financial year, the officials have set up a budget of 124.95 crore of total expenditure, including Rs 63.65 crore as wages for the workers.
As many as 2.12 lakh cardholders are present in the district, and only 1.43 lakh workers actively participated in the work this year. According to DWMA project director Yugandhar Kumar, the reason for the increased number of workdays from 27 lakh in the last year to 29 lakh this year was due to the Amrti Sarovar project in which construction of ponds, lakes were taken up along with renovations of check dams, plantation works, construction of RBS, village, and ward secretariat buildings, PHCs, UPHCs, and other government buildings.
Explaining the plans for the next financial year, Yugandhar said, “We have already conducted gram sabhas in all 294 villages in the district to identify the works for next financial year. According to the initial estimates, we are expecting to provide 33 lakh work days in the 2023-24 financial year. Based on the population of the village, the officials are planning to provide 5,000-10,000 workdays. The details of the identified work and the number of workdays allotted for the next financial year would get approved by Zilla Parishad after which the reports would be sent to the state government and work will be started soon.”