Dhenkanal: With transparency and accountability at all levels of implementation, Dhenkanal district tops in man-days generation under MGNREGA yojana in Odisha. It topped in terms of generating man-days in Odisha, having already recorded 5.13 lakh till May 28, 2020, which is an all time record.
Sources said, in order to provide livelihood to the laboureres during this coronavirus crises the district administration has started the construction work under MGNREGA from April 5.
Due to lockdown the construction work had been stopped for more than one month. Later, the state government passed permission for construction of development projects under MGNREGA scheme.
Following the order of state government, District Collector Bhumesh Chandra Behera expedited the development projects in the rural areas.
Development works like water harvesting project, pond digging, pond resurrection, well digging, improving land quality, road construction in rural area and water conservation are given more importance under MGNREGA.
In 2019-20 finical year the district had successfully generated 35, 30,497 man-days by spending 9460.23 lakh. However, in current year till May 28 the district administration has generated 5.13 lakh man-days by spending 14.87 crore.
Total 62,362 people have been working in these development projects throughout the districts.
The district administration has provided job-cards to 1, 94,757 families. Even total 500 odia expats have also been provided job-cards and 100-days paid work by the district administration.
Odia expats Arkhit Pradhan (25) and Lambodar Pradhan (24) said, “Earlier we were working in other states. As we were not any work in our state so we had gone to other states for doing works. But now it is a blessing for us to for our livelihood by working in our own state”.
Behera said, “We recognise that MGNREGA gives hope to those who had all but lost hope. MGNREGA gives employment, provides income, gives a livelihood and it gives a chance to live a life of self-respect and dignity. MGNREGA is not just a development initiative but a right. Employment guarantee is implemented in its true sense and it focuses on matching outlays by outcomes. Productive assets are created to pay for the money spent”.
PNN