BENGALURU: The rural employment guarantee scheme will focus on water conservation works to address water shortage in the state, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa told reporters on Monday.
He said that under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MGNREGA), for the next 100 days, districts across the state would take up work to build rainwater harvesting pits, de-silt check dams and lakes, repair tank bunds, rejuvenate storm water drains using Google Earth, construct soak pits and krishi hondas in farms, construct tanks for livestock, create new tanks, re-charge borewells, etc.
The workers who will be getting a revised pay of Rs 289 per day with effect from April 1, 2021. Eshwarappa said that in 2020-21, the government was able to provide 14.58 crore person days, the highest in five years. The government issued 7.01 lakh new jobs cards this fiscal year, taking the total to 16.68 lakh people enrolled in the scheme. As many as 2.23 lakh families had got work for 100 days, which is the highest in the past five years.