ITANAGAR, 1 Mar: The State Employment Guarantee Council (SEGC) under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) on Tuesday passed the labour budget, totalling Rs 265.73 lakhs person-days for the 2022-23 financial year (FY).
The budget was passed during an SEGC meeting held here on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Minister Bamang Felix.
The labour budget was prepared after convening the GPDP and gram sabhas, and was uploaded to the MIS, totalling Rs 265.73 lakhs person-days.
During the meeting, the convergence of MGNREGA with Border Roads Organisation (BRO), as per the advisory issued by the union ministry of rural development, was also approved, and appointment of an ombudsman for all the districts was also discussed.
Regarding the convergence of the MGNREGA and the BRO, the council was informed that the works executed by the BRO in the border areas have to be in convergence with the MGNREGA. The only wage, at the rate of Rs 212 per day, has to be borne through the MGNREGA fund and the remaining materials as well as other expenditures will be borne by the BRO.
As to the appointment of an ombudsman, the council resolved to appoint an ombudsman for all the districts at the earliest.
Addressing the council, Felix expressed dissatisfaction over the average number of days of employment provided under the MGNREGA in the 2021-22 FY, which stands at 47.09 percent.
Calling upon the council to try to achieve 100 percent employment under the MGNREGA during the 2022-23 FY, the minister emphasized the importance of making rural Arunachal Pradesh self-reliant.
Pointing out that the rural development and the panchayati raj departments can play a crucial role in the state’s development as the majority of the population comes under their ambit, Felix suggested that the council focus on “channelling the rural population towards agri-horti and allied activities.”
He said that the expenditure on agri-horti and allied activities should also be increased from the current 47.53 percent to at least 60 percent.
Earlier, RD Secretary Amarnath Talwade urged the council members to share their opinions and suggestions. He focused also on “developing a work culture and approach towards development by educating the rural masses.”
Among others, the meeting saw the participation of Agriculture Secretary Bidol Tayeng, RD Director Kego Jilen and the zilla parishad chairpersons of all 25 districts.