Rural Development Minister chairs State Employment Guarantee Council meeting

Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh while chairing a meeting of the Himachal Pradesh State Employment Guarantee Council here today said that Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was playing an important role in strengthening the economy of the villages by providing guaranteed employment opportunities in rural areas. He said that it was also aiding in the development of villages through creation of infrastructure in rural areas.

He said that about 90 percent of the population of the state resides in rural areas and for them MGNREGA ensures guaranteed employment of 100 days in a year. He added that the state government has made an additional provision of 20 days under MGNREGA, the entire expenditure on which is being borne by the state government. He informed that the state government has benefited MGNREGA daily wage workers by increasing the wage from Rs. 240 per day to Rs. 300 per day from April, 2024.

During the meeting, the annual report for the financial year 2023-24 was approved and it was informed that more than 344 lakh working days were created in Himachal Pradesh during the financial year 2023-24. Of these, 64 percent of working days belonged to women daily wagers. In the financial year 2024-25, 144 lakh working days have been created till July.

Since the implementation of MGNREGA in the state, about 86 percent of the 11 lakh 71 thousand 739 works sanctioned have been completed so far, while the remaining works were under construction. It was informed in the meeting that an amount exceeding Rs. 1,288 crore 24 lakh was spent under MGNREGA in the financial year 2023-24. In the financial year 2024-25, amount close to Rs. 688 crore was spent till July and timely payment of wages was done in over 99 percent of the cases.

Various issues were approved in the meeting and nominated members of Himachal Pradesh State Employment Guarantee Council presented their suggestions before the council.

The Rural Development Minister said that the suggestions presented before the council would be effectively raised before the Government of India for the welfare of the people and to strengthen the Panchayati Raj Institutions.