At an appraisal meeting of the achievement of the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) held here, Deputy Commissioner, Sandeep Kadam and Project Officer, Sanjeev Dhiman claimed that Mandi district had topped in the State in the implementation of various schemes launched under the IRDP. Kadam said a sum of Rs10.4 crore had been paid to the people engaged under MGNREGA while a sum of Rs16.24 crore is yet to be paid to those who worked under the rural employment scheme.
The district has utilised the optimum funds to the extent of 25 per cent released to the hill State. Mandi has utilised 75 per cent budget as against the average rate of fund utilisation in the state of 67 per cent, he said. The DC stated that of the 24068 development works undertaken by the department, 9,404 have been completed and as many as 14682 works were being done on a war- footing. In 13 districts, Mandi district had achieved a distinction of topping in the State.
The highest target of utilising the labour budget by spending 69 per cent of the allocated amount. Officials said frantic efforts were being made to achieve the target of Swachchh Bharat (Clean India) by 2019. It had been envisaged to improve the quality of life in rural areas by totally eliminating the scourge of open defecation by extending sanitation coverage through communities and Panchyati Raj Institutions by adopting sustainable sanitation practices for realising the visions of clean India. “Cost effective and ecologically safe technologies would be adopted. The solid and liquid waste management would also be taken up scientifically,” officials added.