MP Vijayasai reddy urges centre for release of MGNREGA grants to the state

MP Vijayasai Reddy has appealed to the Union Minister of Rural Development to immediately release the dues of Rs 2,246 crore to the state under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act Scheme (MGNREGA). He was speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Friday. He said the scheme had become a major source of income for the rural masses in Andhra Pradesh.

He said that this year the state was experiencing strange weather conditions. Violence has haunted many parts of the state for months. After that, the torrential rains overwhelmed. The Krishna and Godavari basins have been flooded for months. It is under these circumstances that the income generated through the employment guarantee scheme for the rural people is diverted. Unfortunately, due to lack of timely release of funds from the Center, the scheme was not able to meet the demands.

100% of wages are paid out of central funds for salaries paid under the employment guarantee. The Center will bear 75 per cent of the cost of material and skilled and semi-skilled workers' wages. However, for the financial year 2018-19, under the Material and Governance Payment Plan, the amount of Rs. 2,246 crore was not released.

He said that the delay in disbursement of funds by the Center had created a situation where the rural people could not get work under the Employment Guarantee Scheme. In this backdrop, Vijayasai Reddy appealed to the Union Rural Development Minister to release the outstanding dues to the state.