MGNREGS: Old norms to stay

Jimdown

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posted on 12 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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KOCHI: The State government is all set to revoke the decision of altering the labour and material cost ratio under the Mahatma Gan..

KOCHI: The State government is all set to revoke the decision of altering the labour and material cost ratio under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) by the previous LDF government. As per the norms by the Central government, the proportion fixed for labour and material cost for the projects under MGNREGS was 60 and 40, respectively, across the country. However, the change in the proportion, made by the previous government resulted in the failure of the creation of assets in the state.“So far we do not have any substantial assets in the state owing to this changed norm. Instead of using it for major works, we have been using the fund under the scheme for menial jobs like removing the weeds and the like,” said K C Joseph, Minister for Rural Development. The minister also added that the funds allocated can also be used for wet land oriented projects as well.The labour-material ratio was changed by the previous government to ensure transparency of projects under MGNREGS. However, with the move failing, the government has decided to stick to the original ratio 60:40, prescribed for the MGNREGS.The fund allocated is being used to undertake works like the preliminary works of cutting of roads, building safety walls etc. The State government has to contribute 25 per cent and remaining contribution is done by the Central government. As the previous government had made it 90:10, the asset creation became a distant reality.Though the State government is quite hopeful of the projects, it is still not free of apprehensions. A highly placed senior government official, who was previously associated with this scheme, said that even this proportion is not enough to undertake any projects in Kerala as the material cost is very high in Kerala compared to other states.“The proportion was quite a success with other states. However, to be successful in Kerala, the department has to make use of this fund for preliminary activities of any project and should integrate it with other funds,” official said.