Chhatrapur: Owing to Covid-induced difficulties, the government has underscored the need for proper implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) so that rural people get sufficient work.
However, Chhatrapur block has lagged behind other blocks in executing the rural job scheme. Over 2,000 projects under the scheme have not yet started.
Scores of people in the block are deprived of availing work under the scheme when the difficulties due to the second wave of Covid are yet to subside.
Reports said, there are 22 blocks in Ganjam while Chhatrapur has remained at the bottom so far as implementation of the rural job scheme is concerned.
As the MGNREGS execution has not been encouraging in the block, Collector Vijay Amruta Kulange had issued a show cause notice to the then BDO.
Later, the BDO was transferred. Another BDO has been given additional charge of the block while the governmant is yet to make the new posting. It is said that due to Covid restrictions, thousands of people have lost jobs.
They used to work in other states and have returned to villages. Since they have no work, they go through a lot of hardship. Given such situations, the Collector has been asking the block authorities to execute projects under MGNREGS.
The district administration is upset over poor show of the block administration in executing the projects even though many officials have been working in the block over years.
As per official data, 25,708 families in Chhatrapur block have got job cards while only 10, 324 families have been provided work under the scheme till Saturday.
Till date, the block administration has managed to create 6,08,216 workdays under the scheme. Only works at 105 projects have been finished while work on 1834 projects is in different stages.
However, 2,637 projects have not been started. Negligence by officials is allegedly undermining the effectiveness of the rural jobs guarantee scheme in this block.
PNN