Latest news with #MahatmaGandhiNationalRuralEmploymentGuaranteeScheme
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Kanniyakumari MP Vijay Vasanth reviews development projects in d
Kanniyakumari MP Vijay Vasanth chaired the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting held here on Saturday to assess progress of various development projects being implemented in the district. During the meeting, the MP reviewed the implementation of of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme and others. He urged the officials to avoid delays in the implementation of schemes and ensure that timely benefits reach the public. He highlighted the Soil Health Card scheme under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, through which soil samples are collected from farmers' lands and recommendations are provided regarding suitable crops and fertilizers. Mr. Vijay noted since 2015 a total of 5,02,383 farmers have received soil health cards and got benefitted. The MP inquired about the schemes being implemented by the school education department and concerned authorities were directed to ensure timely renovation of school walls, toilets, roofs and other facilities. Majority of the schools in town panchayat and corporation limits were renovated. The officials were also directed to make the Kanniyakumari district as a mal-nutrition free district through effective implementation of the Poshan Abhiyan scheme. He assessed the progress of projects being implemented by Highways, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Co-operative societies and others. He noted that a total of ₹87.52 lakh has been allocated to Kanniyakumari district for the Jal Jeevan Mission and ₹129.95 crore has been sanctioned for UnderGround Drainage System in Nagercoil Municipal Corporation. He reiterated the need to desilt all water bodies in the district to improve water availability for farmers. He also advised officials to expedite ongoing development works while ensuring that the welfare of the people remains the top priority. Kanyakumari Collector R. Alagumeena, Assembly members N. Thalavai Sundaram, S. Rajesh Kumar, J.G. Prince and others were present at the meeting.
The Hindu
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Rural road construction, drinking water projects top progress report of A.P. Deputy CM
A total of 1,312 km bituminous roads was laid by the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department (PR&RDD) across 449 roads in the past one year, and a sum of nearly ₹650 crore was spent for the department's engineering works, said Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, who also handles the portfolios of PR&RD Rural Water Supply (RWS); Environment and Forest; and Science and Technology, in his progress report released on June 19 on the occasion of his completing a year in the post. The PR&RDD received ₹590 crore from the Centre during the year. A sum of ₹605.34 crore was being spent on laying 215 roads (measuring nearly 662 km) connecting 258 tribal villages under the PM JanMAN and Panchayat Raj Reforms-Tribal Sub-Plan. These works are in progress and are targeted to be completed in two years. About ₹558 crore was released by NABARD for repairing 1,202 km of pothole-riddled roads. The construction of 4,000 km cement concrete roads has been completed in the rural areas through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). The government, through the MGNREGS, had 78,776 agricultural ponds constructed to meet the water requirement of farmers. Another major initiative taken up under the MGNREGS was the construction of 22,500 Gokulams to protect dairy cattle in villages. One of its objectives was to increase milk production, thereby increasing the income of the farmers. About 3,429 lakh working days were provided to workers through MGNREGS. As for RWS, Mr. Kalyan said foundations were laid for clean drinking water projects in East Godavari, West Godavari, Palnadu, Prakasam and Chittoor districts at ₹7,910 crore, and so far 3,778 projects were completed under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). Drinking water tap was provided to 54,352 houses. The protected water scheme in Uddhanam area of Srikakulam district, where Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology has so far killed a large number of people, was completed. A sum of ₹480 crore was spent on providing drinking water in Pulivendula area of Kadapa district alone, he said.
The Hindu
a day ago
- General
- The Hindu
Forest roads improve access to remote tribal hamlets in Erode district
Aimed at improving connectivity to remote tribal hamlets, the district administration has constructed 49.99 km of forest roads at a cost of ₹61.88 crore in the hill areas of the district. Many settlements located within the forest regions of Anthiyur, Sathyamangalam, Talavadi, and Thuckanaickenpalayam (T.N. Palayam) have long suffered from inadequate road infrastructure. In response to sustained demands for tar-topped and concrete roads, new roads have been developed under multiple schemes, including the Chief Minister's Rural Roads Development Scheme and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. These roads are part of a broader initiative to connect nine tribal settlements spread across the hilly and forested terrains of the Anthiyur and Talavadi blocks. According to a release from Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara, six roadworks have been completed, one is in progress, and two are scheduled to begin in the upcoming financial year. Ongoing works were Anthiyur block – Anaipodu forest road (₹1.09 crore), Thammuratti forest road (₹13.96 lakh), Onnakarai forest road (₹19.10 lakh), Thamaraikarai to Thalakkarai (₹74 lakh), Talavadi block – Dhimbam - Mavanatham road (₹81.96 lakh), Dhimbam - Kalithimbam road (₹1.08 crore) and Dhimbam–Ramaranai road (₹51.45 lakh). The release noted that other infrastructure improvements had also been made in the hill areas. The Collector stated that these road developments had significantly improved access to healthcare and education for tribal communities in remote areas, enabling timely emergency medical services and facilitating students' daily commute to schools and colleges. So far, 33.184 km of forest roads had been completed, with 16.806 km currently under construction. Proposals had been submitted for an additional 6.050 km of roads in the Anthiyur and Talavadi blocks, the release added.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Will delaying the Census affect its implementation?
On June 16, the Registrar General of India under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification that India's population will be counted in 2027. Following demands by the Opposition parties, among other reasons, the government has also announced the inclusion of caste enumeration in the Census for the first time in independent India. The last Census was held in 2011. The exercise was to take place in 2021, but was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has now been further pushed to 2027. Will delaying the Census affect its implementation? Sanjay Kumar and Poonam Muttreja discuss the question in a conversation moderated by Vijaita Singh. Edited excerpts: Was the Census deliberately delayed? Sanjay Kumar: The Census should have taken place in 2021, but that was the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since everything was stalled in 2020 and we were under a strict lockdown for a good part of that year, the Census could not take place. Do you see any political reasons for the further delay? Do you think the government wanted to time it with the delimitation exercise, which is frozen till 2026? Sanjay Kumar: I don't have an explanation for this delay. The pandemic was over by mid-2022. By the end of 2022, universities had opened, schools had gone back to a normal routine, and everyone had started going back to office. The delay for nearly three years after that is frankly inexplicable. I'm not sure why the government did not take the initiative earlier. I don't think it is because of the delimitation exercise, because every time delimitation takes place, the exercise uses the previous Census data. So the government could have began conducting the Census in 2023 as well. Even if it did start conducting the exercise in 2025, it would have made no difference to the work of delimitation. Can you tell us about the implications of a delayed Census? Poonam Muttreja: The delay has serious consequences for governance and development. India continues to use Census data from 2011 data in 2025. The ground reality has changed dramatically since 2011. Population growth, internal migration, urbanisation, and fertility patterns have all accelerated/changed. But policy continues to run on outdated assumptions. The delay effects nearly every sector. School enrolment projections are inaccurate. Vaccine coverage targets have missed the mark. Social welfare programmes such as PDS (public distribution system) and MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) cannot adjust to the actual population needs. The delay also affects disaster preparedness and infrastructure planning. This is going to be the first digital Census in India. Are there any concerns about that? Poonam Muttreja: Digitisation can bring in efficiency, reduce manual error, and allow faster data processing. But a fully digital Census also risks excluding the very people who are the hardest to reach, such as those in rural households and informal settlements, those belonging to marginalised communities, and women. They may not have smartphones, stable electricity, or digital access. Take women, for instance — only 33% of rural women use the Internet. Among women in low income households, mobile phone ownership is significantly low. A 'digital first' approach without safeguards could reinforce the existing gender bias. To succeed, this Census must retain door-to-door in-person enumeration, especially in areas that are difficult to access. The enumerators must be trained to work with diverse populations in regional languages and have an inclusive approach. Technology should support, not replace, the human engagement that is essential for collecting accurate data. The government is yet to announce any decision regarding the National Population Register (NPR), which is the first step towards the creation of a National Register of Citizens (NRC). In the 2021 Census, it was planned to be updated with the first phase of the Census. Do you think if the two are combined — the NPR and population Census — it may impact the process because of the controversies and fears around the NPR? Sanjay Kumar: If you are trying to do one piece of work and then you combine it with other work, there is a possibility of both getting tampered with. Things could get delayed, jumbled, and some information could get misrepresented. But do you see the Centre not going ahead with the NPR so that the Census is done in a hassle-free manner? Sanjay Kumar: I would be in favour of getting the Census done separately because we should not forget that this is being undertaken after a very long time — 16 years! This is the first time that caste enumeration is also taking place as part of the Census. So a new element is already there. Why overburden the enumerators? How difficult or easy will it be for the government to collect data on caste? In the Socio-Economic and Caste Census of 2011, around 40 lakh caste names were thrown up. There were instances of people writing their surnames instead of their community names. It was based on self-disclosure. What methodology do you think the government should follow to make the process robust? Sanjay Kumar: If we are raising questions about caste data, we can raise questions about the collection of other information as well. If people can answer questions about their assets, age, gender, and education, why should there be any difficulty in answering questions about caste? But yes, training is important. If we are able to train our enumerators well, the respondents will be able to answer most of the questions. The enumerators need to know that Varma, for instance, is a surname, not a caste. If a respondent mentions this surname as their caste, the enumerators will have to ask a follow-up question. Poonam Muttreja: Asking about a person's caste is not going to be difficult. The UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government conducted a caste census nearly a decade ago, but never released the data. I think homework needs to be done well when we collect data on caste. Enumerators must understand all the caste sub-categories. Unless they themselves are well informed, they are not going to be able to deal with erroneous answers or inappropriate answers. Why do you think Census is important for a country? Poonam Muttreja: The world is changing rapidly and so many things are uncertain. In such a scenario, the Census is the most important aspect to consider in not only planning and policymaking, but also in the allocation of resources. It helps us understand how climate change is impacting us, changing population dynamics, and patterns of digitisation. In India, to understand the rapid increase in urbanisation and migration patterns, we need numbers. We also know that India is an ageing society. The number of aged people is going to nearly double in the next 20 years. You can't let people age and then start planning. So given the rapidly changing environment, planning, allocation of resources, targeting the poor and targeting those who are marginalised are all objectives. In fact, the whole purpose of having a caste census is to invest in the most marginalised communities. Do you think the government should consider reducing the 10-year period for conducting the Census so that we can have faster and more accurate data about these changes in society? Sanjay Kumar: Conducting the Census is a tedious, time-consuming process. It cannot happen overnight. The Census is not merely about counting the number of people. The government's policy formulation depends on the information collected during a Census. The large amount of information gathered is valuable for the government to implement various kinds of policies. We may feel that the government can do this every five years, but it is more appropriate to do it every 10 years. But we should make sure that the Census takes place on time and there is no break in between.
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Centre reviews HC order to resume MGNREGA in West Bengal from August 1
The Centre is looking at various options following the Kolkata High Court's (HC) order directing it to re-start the stalled Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in West Bengal from August 1, according to senior officials. They said the order is being studied in detail to understand all the nuances after which a formal stand could be taken. The Kolkata HC, in an order issued on Wednesday, directed the Centre to resume the MGNREGA scheme in the state that has been stalled since three years, but with some riders. The Court, while asking the Centre to restart the scheme, also allowed it to impose any condition or restriction that it deems necessary so that corruption that occurred previously is not repeated. The HC's order was passed following a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that claimed the poor were being denied their legitimate entitlement under the Act, which guarantees 100 days of employment per year to rural households. A division Bench comprising Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice Chaitali Chatterjee Das issued the order. The Bench noted that neither the Centre nor the State had taken any action against those involved in the alleged corruption, which had delayed the scheme's implementation in West Bengal. Both the ruling Trinamool Congress and Opposition BJP claimed victory, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee saying that the Centre wants to restart all the social welfare programmes stalled in the state since the last three years. BJP also welcomed the order saying that the control of the scheme will now rest with the Centre, and there won't be any retrospective payments and genuine beneficiaries will be included in MGNREGS not ghost workers. It added that the order also meant that all recovered money from the mishandling of funds will go back to the consolidated fund of India. The Left-affiliated All India Agricultural Workers Union said that the verdict is the result of the continued struggles of the agricultural workers of West Bengal and unity of the workers, peasants, and agricultural workers. The union government had been withholding MGNREGS funds for West Bengal by imposing Section 27 of the Act that allows it to stop funds for violation of rules in implementation of the scheme by the State. The section was first invoked in December 2021 alleging large-scale corruption and violation of guidelines. In a parliament reply made in July 2022, the ministry of rural development had acknowledged that on account of non-compliance of its directives, as per provision of Section 27 of MGNREGA, the release of funds to the State of West Bengal has been stopped. At that time, the pending liabilities for MGNREGS wages was estimated at ₹2,605 crore.
