NREGA

30 days work done under NREGS : Minister

Minister of state for Panchayat and Rural Development, Mr Bankim Ghosh visited Cooch Behar on Saturday to review the progress of implementation of different rural development schemes like 100-day job guarantee scheme and pro-people services offered under the Panchayat system. He visited two Gram Panchayats - Panisala and Chilkirhat and two Panchayat Samitis – Cooch Behar-I and Mathabhanga-II.

Talking with reporters at Cooch Behar Circuit House, the minister claimed that 30 days of work have been done in the district under NREGA scheme till November. He hoped that 50 days of work would be done by March 2010.

The minister admitted that work under the NREGA schemes was not done satisfactorily at everywhere in the state. At some places fund is lying unspent while at some places no fund was extended, as bills have not been submitted in time. Mr Ghosh said they received Rs 200-crore from the Centre and it is being disbursed to the districts as per requirements. Fund will not be a problem to run the NREGA schemes, he assured.

The members of the Gram Panchayats and the Pradhans should be more active and aware to implement the NREGA schemes, he opined.

The minister said that Panchayat Week is being celebrated in the state for the first time. After completion of the 3-day state level celebration at Murshidabad (to be started from 6 December) it will be held at Zilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti and Gram Panchayat levels and it will be concluded by 20 December, he said.