Sunday, August 30, 2009
NREGS a boon for agriculture in delta area
From The Hindu
CHENNAI: The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) is of significant benefit to agriculture in the Cauvery delta area, according to sources in the Thanjavur district administration.
Speaking to The Hindu, Collector M.S. Shanmugham explained that until recently, work on A-class canals, the main ones connecting rivers directly to fields, was not included within the ambit of NREGS projects.
“However, after last year’s floods, I wrote to the government and managed to get a government order passed to permit NREGS de-silting projects to also take up A-class canals. The de-silting work and anti-flood operations have been of much benefit to agriculture in the district,” Mr. Shanmugham said. Additionally, this had significantly increased work opportunities in this district for NREGS workers.
In the Cauvery delta, canals make up the “nerve centre” of agriculture, which is highly dependent on the flow of water released from dams upstream, Mr. Shanmugham explained.
Given this “huge network of canals in Thanjavur the budgetary allocation to de-silt that entire network, if it were to be done by the Public Works Department, will be Rs.100 crore at least,” according to him.
However as the NREGS budget is effectively utilised for this purpose the financial burden is taken off the State government, creating a “win-win situation”.
Simultaneously, “Rs.1.4 crore in purchasing power is being pumped into the rural economy every week, in the form of wages for approximately 30,000 workers district-wide,” Mr. Shanmugham said.
Most workers tend to receive Rs.75-80 per day, and “there is usually no underpayment of wages as the schedule of rates clearly defines separate terms for hard soil, soft soil, jungle clearance work, and so on.”
Labour budget
According to data provided by the district administration, labour budget has been approved for 1440 canal, tank and road works projects for 2009-10 at an estimated cost of Rs.47.35 crore.
Funds to the tune of Rs.62.61 crore have been received by the district from Central and State governments for this year, of which 76 per cent has already been utilised.
Employment under the NREGS has been provided to 1,68,721 job cardholders in Thanjavur district thus far, generating 60 lakh mandays of work, according to the administration.
CHENNAI: The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) is of significant benefit to agriculture in the Cauvery delta area, according to sources in the Thanjavur district administration.
Speaking to The Hindu, Collector M.S. Shanmugham explained that until recently, work on A-class canals, the main ones connecting rivers directly to fields, was not included within the ambit of NREGS projects.
“However, after last year’s floods, I wrote to the government and managed to get a government order passed to permit NREGS de-silting projects to also take up A-class canals. The de-silting work and anti-flood operations have been of much benefit to agriculture in the district,” Mr. Shanmugham said. Additionally, this had significantly increased work opportunities in this district for NREGS workers.
In the Cauvery delta, canals make up the “nerve centre” of agriculture, which is highly dependent on the flow of water released from dams upstream, Mr. Shanmugham explained.
Given this “huge network of canals in Thanjavur the budgetary allocation to de-silt that entire network, if it were to be done by the Public Works Department, will be Rs.100 crore at least,” according to him.
However as the NREGS budget is effectively utilised for this purpose the financial burden is taken off the State government, creating a “win-win situation”.
Simultaneously, “Rs.1.4 crore in purchasing power is being pumped into the rural economy every week, in the form of wages for approximately 30,000 workers district-wide,” Mr. Shanmugham said.
Most workers tend to receive Rs.75-80 per day, and “there is usually no underpayment of wages as the schedule of rates clearly defines separate terms for hard soil, soft soil, jungle clearance work, and so on.”
Labour budget
According to data provided by the district administration, labour budget has been approved for 1440 canal, tank and road works projects for 2009-10 at an estimated cost of Rs.47.35 crore.
Funds to the tune of Rs.62.61 crore have been received by the district from Central and State governments for this year, of which 76 per cent has already been utilised.
Employment under the NREGS has been provided to 1,68,721 job cardholders in Thanjavur district thus far, generating 60 lakh mandays of work, according to the administration.
Labels: canals, Cauvery, delta, desilting, job card, NREGS, Public Works Department, Thanjavur
# posted by Narayan Lakshman @ 6:45 PM 
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
