Vijayawada: Centre urged to grant more working days under NREGA

Vijayawada: The visiting Central Monitoring Committee complimented the district administration for providing more than one crore working days to the farm labourers exceeding the target under the NREGA.

The committee members Dr Radha Gayatri and Manoj met District Collector A Md Imtiaz at the latter's camp office, who appraised them of the performance of the NREGA in the district.

The collector told the committee members that 8,985 families in the district have completed 100 days of work under the NREGA and they have to wait for the next financial year to get work once again. He urged them to recommend the Central government to sanction more working days under the NREGA to the district.

The collector stated that the target was set for providing work for 91.40 lakh working days in the present financial year but the administration has provided 1.06 crore working days for the farm labourers in the district paying Rs 240 crore as wages. "Rs 41.72 crore was spent under material component head," he said.

An ASHA worker was appointed at the NREGA works to provide health service if anybody gets sick, the collector said. "During the difficult times of Covid19 also 3.5 lakh working days for provided every day," he said.

Dr Radha Gayatri said that the committee was touring in the district for four days from August 23 to observe the implementation of NREGA, PM Awas Yojana and other schemes at the field level. She said that they would visit Nandigama, Machilipatnam and Musnuru mandals and submit the report with recommendations to the Union Ministry for Rural Development. DUAMA project director Suryanarayana, Housing project director Dhanunjayudu and other officials were present.