Aiming to keep supply of the fund steady for taking up works under the rural employment guarantee scheme NREGA, Rural Development Minister KN Tripahi has proposed for Rs 500 crore of corpus fund for Jharkhand. The corpus fund which provides cushion to the implementing agency in case delay in release of money from the Centre takes place is currently of just Rs 150 crore.
The decision can come handy when the scheme over the period has witnessed a downtrend be it approval against the sanctioned amount, interest of job seekers or timely payment against the work done.
“I admit that there is lethargy on the front of NREGA as works are not been undertaken against the sanctions. There has been some confusion about payment coming from the Centre. This apart, I would recommend for having a corpus fund of Rs 500 crore and bring a proposal in the Cabinet soon,” said Tripahi on Wednesday after a review of the schemes running under Rural Development and Panchayati Raj departments.
He also, on the occasion, stressed that there was no bar on the expenditure under the scheme as it was enacted by Parliament as law and the Centre, irrespective of its budget for NREGA, would be duty bound to release money against the work undertaken. “They may have reduced the budget but there should not be any confusion about the fund coming. You sanction the work and the fund will come for the wages paid. I am again going to Delhi on September 18 and present our views over there,” the Minister instructed district level officials, mainly DDCs.
The district level officials have also been told to expedite ‘apna khet-apna kaam’ scheme which allows work up to Rs 2 lakh any marginal farmer can get sanctioned on his own field. The Minister was also particular about lapse of Rs 640 crore meant for Backward Region Grants Fund (BRGF) in the previous financial year.
“It was there but I am happy to announce that we have been allocated Rs 231.23 crore as first installment for 17 districts while for the rest six there was some lacuna in the proposal. We have released the money to the districts as well,” added Tripathi. Rs 20 crore under the Integrated Action Plan’s (IAP) Additional Central Assistance has also been granted to 13 out of 17 districts falling under it in the State.
“We are also going to release Rs 10 lakh to all the Gram Panchayats under CM’s Rural Road in all the districts and Ministers’ in-charge of districts have been told to present on the occasion,” said he and vows that by October 30, 75 per cent of the money given to the State under 13th Finance Commission would be spent.