Latest news with #MNREGS
Time of India
19-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Water conservation becomes primary focus of MNREGS in UP
Lucknow: Water conservation has become a sharp focus of the Centre's Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) in Uttar Pradesh , with the scheme's expenditure for this purpose reaching an all-time high of over 85% of the amount allocated under Natural Resource Management (NRM). Data show that the expenditure grew by around 35% from just over 61% of the NRM in 2024-25. The previous high was in 2022-23 when 61.89% of the NRM expenditure was directed towards water conservation. This, however, dropped to just over 54% in 2023-24. Officials said by prioritising NRM expenditure in Mission Water Conservation (MWC) blocks, the MNREGS aims to address water scarcity issues, improve agricultural productivity, and build climate resilience in vulnerable areas. MWC blocks are specific rural blocks identified for special attention in water conservation efforts. Ministry of rural development has recently mandated that at least 65% of the expenditure within MWC blocks under the MNREGS should be allocated to NRM. The focus is designed to enhance water conservation efforts and promote sustainable resource management in these areas. The 65% expenditure is specifically earmarked for NRM activities, which may include water conservation measures like farm ponds, rainwater harvesting, soil moisture conservation and other related works. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Experts said by tying MNREGS funds to NRM activities in these blocks, the govt aims to use guaranteed employment to simultaneously build critical assets. This essentially supports rain-fed agriculture that is often vulnerable to climate fluctuations. The focus on water conservation, experts said, increases soil moisture and water availability to boost crop productivity, besides helping farmers to increase their income – eventually reducing migration from rural areas. It is also seen as an integrated approach to rural development. Experts said to ensure continued success, local capacity building, community participation and technical support for quality asset creation must be prioritised.
Hans India
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Derive benefit from MNREGS, farm labour told
Nellore: District Collector O Anand has advised the agricultural labourers to utilise the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) as such scheme is meant to provide employment to the farm labour. The Collector has inspected the ongoing Canal Silt Removal Works (CSRW) being conducted under MNREGS at Nagula Devi Gunta village of Alluru mandal on Tuesday. On this occasion, the Collector interacted with the farm labour over the problems like delay in payment of wages, facing discrimination related to allocation of works and any other issues. While describing MNREGS as a boon for poor in the villages, the Collector said that farm labour need not worry over daily breadwinning as they would have handful work if they use this scheme in a proper manner. The Collector suggested to the labour who were supposed to attend MNREGS works, to secure Aadhaar Card as it will be mandatory as per the guidelines. Later, the Collector inspected the Divakar Reddy Housing Layout being established in 12 acres of land in the village and enquired about the infrastructure facilities. On the occasion, beneficiaries told the Collector that due to lack of drinking water facility, they did not enter the houses despite the structures completed long ago. Responding to their plea, the Collector ordered the officials to take steps for providing drinking water at once. Subsequently, the Collector made a surprise visit at the BC Welfare hostel in Allur mandal and enquired with the students over the facilities being provided to them and had lunch along with inmates. Kavali RDO Vamsi Krishna, Alluru MRO Lakshmi Narayana, MDO Rajinikanth and others were present.
Indian Express
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
In village after village in Bihar, a chorus: ‘We only have Aadhaar… how do we get the papers EC asking for?'
An Aadhaar card, a voter card and an MNREGS job card. For Meghan Manjhi, a 37-year-old labourer, the three 'sarkari kaagaz (official documents)' largely define his life. But now, the resident of Kalyan Bigha, the native village of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, must look for more. As per the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls ordered by the Election Commission ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls, residents of the state such as Manjhi whose names did not figure in the 2003 electoral rolls must provide one of 11 documents notified by the EC to prove their 'citizenship'. None of the three documents possessed by Manjhi, who belongs to a Scheduled Caste family, counts. 'The BLO (booth level officer) has told me that if I get a residence or caste certificate made before July 25, my (voter enrolment) form can be filled,' Manjhi says. This story plays out in village after village in the state, from Nitish's turf Harnaut in Nalanda district, to RJD chief Lalu Prasad's Raghopur in Vaishali. The Raghopur Assembly seat is currently represented by Lalu's son and senior RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav. In the next 20 days or so, as the monsoon moves in, over 77,000 BLOs along with other government staff and political party workers must check the antecedents of over 7.8 crore registered electors as part of the revision exercise. While a declaration that an applicant is a citizen is required for all new registrations, this time the EC is asking for citizenship proof for all new as well as existing voters. Across villages in Bihar, this has meant both disquiet and a desperate scramble for residential and caste certificates, the most commonly available of the 11 documents specified by the EC. While district magistrates have issued instructions to expedite these certificates, many are either unaware or confused about the exercise, or are yet to be approached by the BLOs with the new electoral forms. Clasping their voter IDs, ration cards and Aadhaar cards, a group of voters is crowded around BLO Pinki Kumari in Kalyan Bigha. Pinki is going through the January 1, 2003, electoral rolls to match names against the hundreds of enumeration forms she has received, while helping villagers fill the forms, collecting documents from them, and getting their thumbprints stamped. In between, she fields calls from registered voters who work outside the state, guiding them on how to complete the new forms online. 'Most of the villagers are not educated, so I'm filling out the forms for them. So far, a majority of the voters in my booth are in the 2003 list… barring 5-7%,' Pinki says. But those who are not in the list 'don't have any of the acceptable documents', she says. 'So I'm asking them to get their caste or residence certificates made quickly.' In Vaishali district, which has about 26 lakh voters, the form distribution was about half-way complete as of Thursday. Of the distributed forms, 2.5 lakh had been filled and collected, and data of 30,000 uploaded. District Magistrate Varsha Singh says the distribution of forms would be completed by July 7. Bihar's Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Gunjiyal told The Indian Express: 'We have sent the new electoral forms to 82% of the BLOs. They have distributed about 72% of the forms (reaching about 5.61 crore of the over 7.8 crore voters). About 3% of the forms have been uploaded on the EC site.' Given that the deadline is less than a month away, that frames the immensity — and what many call impossibility — of the task ahead. Nitish Kumar's turf The Harnaut Assembly constituency, which includes the CM's village Kalyan Bigha and which has been won by Nitish several times in the past, is dominated by OBC Kurmis, along with some EBCs and Brahmin families. The Opposition has been pointing out that it is the marginalised such as EBCs who are most likely to face disenfranchisement due to the EC exercise. Sitting among friends just outside Nitish's family home, Rajnish Prakash Singh is confused about the specifics, but says he is not worried as he has his land papers and a caste certificate. 'It will be done,' he says confidently. 'We have left it to our BLOs,' adds an elderly Surendra Singh. Ashish Thakur, a daily wager from Kalyan Bigha, however, is worried. Born after 2003, he has to submit his identity proof along with his father's. 'My father died in 1999 and I have no idea how I can prove my father's identity,' he says. Move away from Harnaut, and the awareness about the EC drive falls within even Nalanda district. Pooja Kumari, from Rajgir, used to live with her husband in Hyderabad but moved back during Covid-19. She is still registered as a voter in Hyderabad, where her husband works. She hasn't heard about the new EC drive. 'They only used the Aadhaar to make my voter card in Hyderabad. That's all I know,' she says. Aafiya Parveen, 22, is new to Nalanda, moving to Bihar Sharif from Jamshedpur after her marriage. She got her voter ID card just a week ago, having successfully transferred it from Jamshedpur. The fact that the EC wants more documents is news to her, too, though she is sure it won't be a problem for her. 'Those who are not educated will face problems,' she says. Tejashwi's constituency In Raghopur, located nearly 100 km away, there are few who know of the EC exercise. Bindu Devi, whose husband works outside the state, says she got her new voter card only on March 27. A member of the Yadav community that is dominant in Raghopur and a loyal RJD voter base, Bindu says she 'paid Rs 50 to a computer operator to fill the form online and get my voter card'. Will I have to get it made again too?' Discussing the list of documents the EC is asking for with other women in the village, Bindu remarks: 'We women don't have caste or residence certificates.' Only those who are applying for government jobs or college seats get caste certificates made, she says. All she has is an Aadhaar card, and is not sure how to get a caste certificate made. Bhagirath Rai, a farmer who has been 'voting for decades', also says Aadhaar is the only sarkaari kaagaz he has. He did get a caste certificate made around 13 years ago for the school admission of one of his children, but is not sure he has a copy of it anymore. In a Yadav settlement, a group of women say it is the first they are hearing of the EC drive. Requesting anonymity, one of them says: 'Our husbands or sons live in Delhi or Punjab. My husband can't come back to fill the new form… Will they pay for the fare for the men to come for this?' In yet another Yadav settlement in Raghopur, Yogita Devi says she has heard of the EC revision from her sister-in-law, who is a BLO. But even she is yet to receive her form. Yogita agrees with the Opposition claim that this is the EC's 'sure shot way to cut votes of the poor'. She has another fear. 'Say my great-grandfather had some land, which got split into multiple portions by the time it reached my father and then me. If a person gives their family's land documents (one of the 11 allowed) as proof for the voter ID now, the government will say that they are well-off and stop their rations, even though they may not have enough land to live off it, and may be working as labourers,' Yogita says. Mahesh Kumar Thakur, a BLO in Raghopur, admits: 'There are some bastis where no one has any documents.' His supervisor who has eight booths under him, Sachidanand Singh, adds that the administration is working on issuing domicile certificates quickly. But, neither is sure they have enough time. EC directive As per the instructions issued by the EC on June 24, just four days before it rolled out the process on the ground, those who were on the electoral rolls in 2003 (when the last such Special Intensive Revision was done) can use the relevant extract from it as proof, while children of those on the 2003 rolls can use their parents' electoral roll extract. That means that all voters 40 and younger (who would not have been 18 in 2003) will have to provide additional documents. Only those who complete the formalities will be included in the draft electoral roll to be published on August 1, with just over a month to go for the Assembly polls. The 11 documents specified by the EC for those not figuring in the 2003 electoral rolls are: any identity card / pension payment order to an employee or pensioner of any PSU; any identity card / certificate / document issued by any government / local authorities / banks / post office / LIC / PSUs before July 1, 1987; birth certificate issued by a competent authority; passport; matriculation/educational certificate issued by recognised boards / universities; permanent residence certificate issued by competent state authority; forest right certificate; OBC / SC / ST or any caste certificate; national register of citizens (wherever it exists); family register; and land / house allotment certificate. RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari says the 'feedback' they have got is that 'the youth, poor, Dalit, who are voters of Tejashwi, will find it difficult to be in the list'. 'How can this exercise be done in 25 days, given that this is the season of monsoon floods, and people who live outside cannot return at such short notice?' The JD(U) has put its party leaders to work to help voters, and its chief spokesperson, Neeraj Kumar, says that is the course to take. 'Political parties must appoint booth level agents. None of the parties have them across all the booths. If we had appointed them, they would have worked with BLOs and helped the people… It is not good for democracy.' At the same time, Kumar admits that allegations have been raised by the Opposition. 'These have to be answered by the EC.' However, even within the ruling party ranks, there is disquiet. Raj Kishor, a JD(U) worker from Kalyan Bigha, says: 'This came as a surprise to us all. There should be revision of electoral rolls, but it can't be finished in such a short time… At least six months should have been set aside.'
New Indian Express
24-06-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Telangana achieves 70% of MNREGS target in two months
HYDERABAD: Telangana is rapidly implementing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS), having generated 4.53 crore person-days of employment by the end of May this financial year. This is against the 6.5 crore person-days allocated to the state by the Central government. With this, the state has already achieved 70 per cent of its target within two months, spending Rs 1,416 crore, including Rs 1,151.67 crore towards wages and Rs 191.03 crore on material purchases. The government is providing Rs 307 as the daily wage for each worker, as notified by the Centre. According to officials, the state government is ensuring timely payment of wages, even though the release of funds by the Central government is delayed in some instances. So far in 2025–26, the Telangana government has provided employment to 28.48 lakh individuals from 18.9 lakh households. On average, each household has received 24 days of work over these two months, with 1,127 households completing 100 days of work. As part of the employment guarantee scheme in rural areas, the government is prioritising works related to agriculture and allied sectors, achieving 50 per cent of its 60 per cent target for these areas. Under this initiative, over one lakh farm ponds, cattle and goat sheds, and plantation works are being undertaken, along with the construction of 31,000 Anganwadi buildings and CC roads. Meanwhile, as demand for MNREGS works increases, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Danasari Anasuya has written to the Centre, urging it to increase the person-days allocation to 12 crore. She has also sought an appointment with the Union Minister for Panchayat Raj and Urban Development to discuss the issue.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Time of India
MP first to use hi-tech system to flag ideal spots for ponds & wells
Bhopal: Setting an example of how technology can change lives, Madhya Pradesh has become the only state to use AI, real-time data analytics and integrated satellite and mapping tools to select locations to construct waterbodies under Jal Ganga Samvardhan Abhiyan — a drive under MNREGS to build waterbodies for groundwater recharge. With these scientific technological interventions, the chances of waterbodies remaining dry become negligible, said officials, adding that it will not only improve groundwater levels but also bring prosperity to rural areas. The MP initiative has been appreciated by Union govt and several states have approached MP to understand the working of these systems, they added. MP is also the first state to integrate MNREGS works with these advanced scientific tools. Ponds and wells often remained dry as they were not dug in ideal spots, lacked correct slopes, or natural water recharges, pointed out officials. Now, these approvals are linked to the Software For Identification and Planning Of Rural Infrastructure (SIPRI) — which has all topographical data, mapped to the level of khasra numbers in each village. It is only after the spot selected for the waterbody is vetted by SIPRI that work goes ahead. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Преносим лазерен заваръчен пистолет, 50% отстъпка в нов магазин HEO Купете сега Undo All this is integrated into the system to ensure seamless and timely evaluation, with just a few clicks. Explaining the system, an official said that once a site for a pond or well is proposed, the khasra number is entered into the system and SIPRI determines if it will be feasible. Parameters like slope, natural water recharges, and other topographical features are shown by the software. It is only after all the parameters check out that the approval process can be further extended. SIPRI uses hundreds of sources, including revenue records, GPS, satellite images, drone surveys, a large number of govt organisations, and even private satellite imagery and data providers, to ensure real-time data. The software even analyses scientific features like lineament — a linear feature on the earth's surface, such as a fault — which are normally not identifiable, and their presence leads to ponds drying up. So far, under Jal Ganga Samvardhan, more than 81,000 farm ponds, 1,200 Amrit Sarovar ponds, and more than 1 lakh wells have been approved. All these have been approved after checking each and every topographical feature in the least possible time. "It's a question of millions and millions of litres of water, and it's related to the lives of crores of rural people. Normally, farmers who do not have access to irrigation water opt for ponds or lakes. If these lakes are functional, it will bring about changes not only in the groundwater levels but also in farm output. Thus, it will have multiple benefits, environmentally as well as in uplifting the living conditions of the people," MNREGS commissioner Avi Prasad told TOI. "We worked for several months on these technological interventions, and it has been developed inhouse. Data from numerous sources is being pulled for this purpose. It took several months to develop the system. Every waterbody approved under Jal Ganga Samvardhan Abhiyan has been approved after due diligence to ensure it is as per the appropriate topography. This not only increases efficiency, but technical intervention has also reduced the time of approvals from a few days to a few minutes. Ideally, a proposal for a water body can now get technical sanction in just 15 minutes," Prasad added.
