Bengal crosses 100 Days’ Work target for first four months

Kolkata, Sep 4: Bengal has crossed the target by almost three times for the number of man-days to be created during the first four months of financial year 2017-18 under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), popularly known as the 100 Days’ Work Scheme. Against a target of 4 crore 97 lakh, the state has achieved 12 crore 5 lakh. Thus the State Government is well on its way to easily overcome the target for the year and thus once again show to the rest of India how to empower the rural populace of India, who comprise about 70 per cent of the population. Against the 2017-18 target of creation of 23 crore man-days, as set by the Union Ministry of Rural Development, Bengal is on its way to achieve about 28 crore. This feat, facilitated by the State Government, has once again brought to the fore the pro-people governance policies adopted by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress Government, ever since it came to power in 2011. During the last financial year too, that is, 2016-17, Bengal had crossed the target set by the Central Government – 23 crore against 18 crore. Consequently, the current financial year’s target has been set at 23 crore, but which too Bengal is set to cross. For 2016-17, the Centre had to give the state Rs 7,200 crore for paying the people who worked for projects under the 100 Days’ Work Scheme. Being on track to cross this year’s enhanced target too, naturally, Bengal would be spending much more than last year on the scheme. According to information from the State Panchayat & Rural Development Department, 39 lakh 61 thousand families are linked to MNREGS in the state. Each person gets to work for 31 days on average and earns Rs 180 per day. UNI