Akshay Azad
Jammu, Jan 15: The much hyped Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has been showing dismal performance in Jammu and Kashmir as the work completion rate has been declining with each passing year, besides only half of works, started under the scheme, were completed in the last financial year.
Sources informed Early Times that work completion rate in year 2010-11 was 74.16 percent, but in the financial year 2013-14 the work completion rate declined to 49.56 percent.
"Around 16075, various types of works were started under the Scheme in 22 districts of the state, out of which only 11,589 works were completed in the financial year 2010-11, recording completion rate of 74.16 percent", sources said, adding that similarly in the financial year 2013-14, a total of 23, 5389 works were started out of which only 11, 1956 works were completed, recorded the completion rate of only 49.56 percent.
Moreover, with each passing financial year, the number of works started under the scheme increased but the completion percentage show a negative trend, sources said.
The number of works started in the financial year 2011-12 rose up to 57,561 different types of work started, out of which 40,089 works get completed, showing a completion percentage of 69.68 percent.
Similarly, in the year 2012-13, the number of works started under the scheme grew up to 95,324, out of which only 52,035 works were completed, showing a completion rate of 54.84 percent. "In the last financial year 2013-14, number of works started was 23,5389 out of which only 11,1956 works get completed in the financial year, showing a completion percentage of 49.56 percent", sources said.
MGNREGA is a livelihood security program for people living in rural areas which guarantees 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to a rural household. It was started in J&K in 2005-06.
Pertinently, last year, Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh, in a letter to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, had questioned gaps between the projection and achievements made under the Government of India's flagship program. |
