Odisha govt seeks Rs 1195 crore for MGNREGS implementation

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Nov 26:

The Odisha government today requested the Centre for immediate release of Rs 1195.40 crore for effective implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the state.

In a letter to Union Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water and Sanitation minister Chaudhary Birendra Singh, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said as per the labour budget agreed to by the ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), there was a requirement of Rs 363.24 crore during the last quarter of 2013.14 fiscal of which the ministry had released Rs 82.61 crore.

To ensure uninterrupted implementation of the scheme and payment to labourers, the state government had released Rs 300 crore from its own funds, Patnaik said.

He said the state has again faced similar situation due to less release of funds by the ministry leading to frequent disruption of works under the scheme.

“As per the labour budget, agreed to by the MoRD, there is a requirement of Rs 1258.50 crore up to the last quarter of December this year. While the ministry has released Rs 658.91 crore in three instalments, there is still an advance of Rs 219.88 crore released earlier from the state exchequer”, the chief minister informed.

He also apprised the Union minister that the state government, in a letter to the ministry on November 13 this year, had submitted a proposal for further release of funds as the implementation of the scheme in the state has completely stopped since October 15.