Rural Dev Ministry official calls for timely MGNREGA payments

Stressing the need for timely payment to beneficiaries under MGNREGA, Joint Secretary in Union Rural Development Ministry Aparajita Sarangi today appealed to all state governments to successfully implement the rural programme.
Inaugurating the three-day inter-state exchange programme of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) here, Sarangi asked the states to remove bottlenecks for ensuring timely payment to beneficiaries to fulfil the basic intent of the scheme.
Over 12 crore people in 661 districts of the country have been getting employment through MGNREGA and all the officers have to work in co-ordination and with commitment to bring changes in the livelihood of beneficiaries, she said.

Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand and Rajastan have topped the list of timely payments to beneficiaries of MGNREGA where as in other states there was delay. In Andhra Pradesh, over 93 per cent of the payments have been taking place within 15 days after commencement of the work, Sarangi added.
We will examine the reasons behind the delay in payment in other states, she said.
Over 40 representatives from 11 states are participating in the inter-state exchange programme. These representatives will be visiting the rural areas of Vizag, Vizianagaram and Srikakuam districts to study the best implementation practises of MGNREGA.