LUCKNOW: Centre’s flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS), that turned out to be a job spinner for migrants who returned to their home states, including UP, during the lockdown has received a fresh leg-up.
The Union ministry of rural development has raised wages under MNREGS from 2% to 7% for different states for the upcoming 2022-23 fiscal, a move that commensurates with rising inflation. In the case of UP, wages have been increased from Rs 204 to Rs 213 per day, a jump of more than 4%.
This is correspondingly higher than in 2021-22, when wages were raised from Rs 198 to 204 per day, a raise of around 3%. UP's wage rate is higher than Bihar (Rs 210), Chhattisgarh (Rs 204), Jharkhand (Rs 210) and Tripura (Rs 212). Neighbouring Uttarakhand has the same wage rate as that of UP, data show.
Cabinet ministers Swatantra Dev Singh and Arvind Kumar Sharma have asked their respective departments to prepare an action plan for next 100 days.
Singh directed officials of Jal Shakti, irrigation and water resources, flood management and others to complete the pending projects in the shortage possible time.
He said, “Negligence won’t be tolerated and departments have to ensure that farmers and underprivileged sections get clean w ater in their homes and farm fields.”
Sharma d irected the power department to ensure uninterrupted power supply along with minimising the electricity loss.
“The department should work out ways to curb electricity theft, increase re venue and resolve consumer issues within the given time frame. Focus should also be to lay down undercable in state capital the way it has been done in Ayodhya and Varanasi,” said Sharma.
He asked officials of urban development to expedite the pending works.
