Naveen urges Modi for addition of default provision in NREGASoft to ensure timely payment of wages

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for addition of a default provision in NREGASoft to prevent any delay in payment of wages under the employment guarantee scheme.

The default provision in NREGASoft will allow withdrawal, utilisation and recoupment of budgetary allocation towards state’s ‘Revolving Fund’, created for the timely payment of wages to the job card holders, Patnaik said in his letter to the Prime Minister.

“My government has introduced a slew of measures to ensure proper implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and ensured that the benefits of the scheme reach the intended beneficiaries. The Odisha government has done well in ensuring timely payment of wages,” Patnaik added.

According to Patnaik, the Centre had taken steps in raising budgetary allocation towards MGNREGS during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In order to ensure timely payment of wages whenever there is a delay in receipt of funds from the Centre, the state government has created a ‘Revolving Fund’ for payment of wages to the job card holders within the stipulated period, he said.

“My government has made a budgetary allocation of Rs 1,000 crore towards the Revolving Fund for 2022-23 financial year. The Revolving Fund is to be recouped after receipt of fund in this regard from the Centre,” Patnaik added.

The Chief Minister claimed that the Ministry of Rural Development had earlier been requested for addition of a default provision in NREGASoft. However, the Ministry is yet to take any action on the aforesaid proposal of the state government, Patnaik said.