Sikkim ranks 3rd in nation on person-days of work created under MG-NREGA

GANGTOK, 16 Dec: The State government, through the Rural Management & Development Department, is surging ahead with the implementation of the Central Government’s flagship programme, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employement Guarantee Scheme in Sikkim. Sikkim ranks third in the national list of states for maximum man-days generation of work for the year 2011-2012.

The RMDD has managed to generate 38.39 person-days of work under MNREGA this year which is third in the country after Tripura (45 person days) and Andhra Pradesh (39.19 person days). Others in the top 10 list are Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Lakshwadeep, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act aims at enhancing the livelihood security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage-employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
At a press conference conducted today by the RMD Department, Secretary, AK Ganeriwala informed that in the year 2010-2011 a total of 54,000 households in the state were provided with employment under the scheme. There are 77,147 households registered with the Department as of date under MGNREGA.
A total of 1,373 households have completed 100 days of employment under the scheme. There were a total number of 972 new works undertaken in the current year and another 400-odd works spilled over from the previous year.
There are already 2,615 works proposed for the new financial year. The works undertaken in the current year include water conservation and harvesting, renovation of traditional water bodies, provision of irrigation facilities, micro irrigation works, flood control and protection and land development.
Further boasting of Sikkim’s track record in the implementation of MGREGA it was informed by the Secretary that the government of India has not received a single complaint from Sikkim regarding this scheme. As for the mode of payment to those employed under MGREGA the RMDD has initiated the use of smart cards as pilot project. This, it is informed will be made normal mode of payment in the days to come. As of now 70 such smart cards have been issued and such cards are being used by the beneficiaries in Ranka and Khamdong as of now.
It was also reminded that the state had received 3 awards this year for its implementation of MGREGA. The central ministry had awarded Gram Panchayats, District MGREGA teams and NGOs for outstanding performance of the scheme earlier this year and Sikkim bagged the national award in all 3 categories. The construction of foot paths will also be undertaken under this scheme it was informed. During the village to village tour of the chief minister there had been demands for the construction of 54 footpaths which had been sanctioned on the spot.