By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Community and Rural Development Minister Saleng M Sangma has admitted that less demand from AECs and VECs has resulted fall in percentage of man-days generated per household from the MGNREGS in the current year.
“We should understand that this Central government sponsored scheme is a demand driven one. The percentage of man-days would go up only if the VECs or AECs start to demand for more works,” Sangma said during the Question Hour in the Assembly on Wednesday.
He claimed that in the last fiscal year, the State percentage was higher than the national one.
While the national average is at 45 per cent, he said that State recorded 57.73 per cent in the last fiscal year.
While admitting that the State percentage has dropped to 37.76 per cent in the current fiscal year, Sangma said, “The department is taking a number of steps to sensitise the various VECs on how to prepare project plan so that their absorption capacity would increase.
While expressing concern over this fall in percentage of man-days generated per household, the leader of Opposition Conrad K Sangma said the Government should take necessary steps to see that the State gets the whole amount allotted under this scheme y which would be between Rs 200 to Rs 250 crore annually.
Meanwhile, Saleng also informed that the various Centrally sponsored schemes implemented by the C&RD department include MGNREGS, IAY, SGSY and the Multi Sectoral Development Programme (MsDP).
He also informed that the funds which has been sanctioned under MGNREGS are 228.79 crore in 2009-2010 and Rs 237.20 crore in 2010-2011.
For the IAY Scheme, C&RD Minister informed that the funds which has been allocated is Rs 42.03 crore in 2009-2011 and Rs 61.91 crore in 2010-2011.