DAVANGERE: The Union Government's rural employment scheme will be implemented in the district from January. Davangere is the first district where the scheme will be implemented in the State, Jitendra Naik, Chief Executive Officer of the Davangere Zilla Panchayat, has said.

Speaking to The Hindu at Honnali here on Tuesday, Mr. Naik said that the Union Government has released Rs. 11 crores to the district and funds will be sent to gram panchayats to take up public works to generate employment. He said that employment will be provided for at least 100 days. He noted that all gram panchayats have been instructed to prepare a list of works and the number of unemployed persons in their areas. The works should generate employment and improve infrastructure in villages.

Arrangements are on to implement the scheme and the panchayats are busy listing out works and enumerating the unemployed youth. If gram panchayats fail to take up public works within 15 days after the commencement of the scheme, unemployed youth registered under the scheme will be paid for the work, he said

Women will be given preference in the scheme. They will be encouraged to set up nurseries, and a nursery with 50,000 plants will be set up under each gram panchayat. The Forest Department has been assigned the task of identifying suitable land for setting up the nurseries, Mr. Nayak said.

The construction of check dams and road widening schemes are among the works to be taken up under the scheme in the district, he said. Mr. Naik added that contract system has been cancelled. Gram panchayats have been empowered to undertake works directly and an engineer will be assigned to ensure quality of work for every four panchayats.

The Union Government aims at empowering gram panchayats through the scheme, he said.

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