A CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: The State Employment Guarantee Council (SEGC) under MGNREGA on Tuesday passed the Labour Budget totalling 265.73 lakhs person-days for the Financial Year 2022-23.
The budget was passed in a SEGC meeting here under the chairmanship of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Bamang Felix. Among others, the meeting was participated by Secretary (RD) Amarnath Talwade, Secretary (Agri) Bidol Tayeng, RD Director Kego Jilen and Zilla Parishad Chairpersons of all 25 districts.
The Labour Budget was prepared for the financial year 2022-2023 after convening the GPDP, and Gram Sabhas, and after it was uploaded in the MIS, totalling 265.73 lakhs person-days. In the meeting, the convergence of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA with Border Road Organization (BRO), as per the advisory issued by the Government of India, MoRD was also approved, and appointment of Ombudsman for all districts was also discussed.
Regarding the convergence of NREGA and BRO, the Council was informed that the work as constructed by BRO in the border areas has to be in convergence with the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA. The only wage at the rate of Rs 212 per day has to be borne through the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA fund and the remaining materials as well as other expenditures will be borne by the BRO.
As for the appointment of the Ombudsman, the Council present resolved to appoint Ombudsman for all districts at the earliest. Addressing the Council, Minister Felix expressed his dissatisfaction over the average number of days of employment provided under the MGNREGA in the financial year 2021-22 which stands at 47.09 per cent.
Calling upon the Council present to try achieving 100 per cent employment under MGNREGA during Financial Year 2022-23, the minister emphasized the importance of making rural Arunachal Pradesh self-reliant for a developed Arunachal Pradesh. Pointing out that the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj departments can play a crucial role in the state's development as the majority of the population comes under their ambit, Minister Felix suggested the Council to focus on channelling 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 per cent to at least 60 per cent.
Earlier, Secretary (RD) Amarnath Talwade in his key-note address urged the Council members present to share their opinions and suggestion during the meeting as the Plan of Action of the next financial year will be drawn up during this meeting. He also focused on developing a work culture and approach towards development by educating the rural masses.
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