Karnataka - Gulbarga   

‘Rectify anomalies in NREGS implementation’

GULBARGA: A delegation of the Karnataka Pranta Raitha Sangha and the Karnataka Pranta Coolikarara Sangha will meet Governor Rameshwar Thakur in Bangalore on October 16 and urge him to take steps to rectify the anomalies in the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) and strengthen the panchayati raj institutions.

Addressing presspersons here on Saturday, president of the KPRS Maruti Manpade said that the delegation would also meet the Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, on October 15 and apprise him of the “failure” on the part of the officials to implement NREGS. Mr. Manpade said that NREGS was still a non-starter in Shimoga, Hassan, Bellary, Chikmagalur, Kodagu and Belgaum districts that were included this year.

In Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar, Davangere and Chitradurga districts, the scheme was not being implemented owing to the apathetic attitude of the agencies concerned.

Mr. Manpade said though the Government had framed rules and regulations for the effective implementation of NREGS in the State in February 2007, they were yet to be implemented owing to lack of interest in the Government. The rules and regulations stated that officials from district and taluk-levels would be appointed to monitor the implementation of the scheme. Besides appointing officials, the Government should also appoint a deputy tahsildar-level officer in all gram panchayats for overseeing the implementation of NREGS, he said.

Mr. Manpade said that officials were not providing employment under NREGS despite people applying for it. Citing three instances of people asking employment and gram panchayats denying it to them in Gulbarga district, Mr. Manpade said unemployed agriculture and non-agriculture workers at Narona in Aland taluk, and Konkal and Ukkinal in Shahapur taluk had submitted applications, but they were yet to be given employment.

He said that the delegation would urge the Governor to increase the minimum wages paid under NREGS from Rs. 74 to Rs. 100 and also increase the yearly grant to gram panchayats from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 25 lakh to take up development works and pay wages to their employees. The Government should stop deducting at source the electricity dues owed by gram panchayats from the grant and they should be allowed to clear the dues, he added.

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