DNOs Blog

Status of NREGS in Purulia

• Purulia is one of the ten 1st phase districts of West Bengal where the programme viz. NREGS,WB has set its foot in 2006-07 with gradually picking up steam in the subsequent years and presently marching ahead with twin objectives of wage generation and sustainable asset creation. The salient features of the scheme as has been carried out in the district are as under:-

1. Distribution of Job cards:-Till date 4,25,446 nos. rural households in the district have received job cards .Out of these total number 1,09,030 and 1,05,082 job cards have been distributed to the ST & SC families respectively.
   
   
2. Achievements in 2009-10:-

•  Physical : In 2009-10, the district has provided employment to 
   158260 rural households at an average of 44 days per family ( Highest in the state)
   A total of 69.86 lakh person days has been generated (till January, 2010) with the following distribution: SC – 26 %, ST – 26 %, Women – 41 %.
   Asset Creation in 2009-10 : Rural Connectivity & Water conservation have been the priority sectors under the programme followed by soil conservation in the form of afforestation and land development based on the demand of the land and its topography. Noteworthy assets created are as under : 
   Rural Road – 3547 km, 
   Water Conservation tanks / ponds - 29.68 lakh cubic meter
   Nursery bed – 31, Seedling raised – 22.38 lakhs (species – Timber : Sishu, Teak, Mehogony, Gamar; Fodder : Subabul; Fuel wood : Minjiri, Akashmoni; Fruit bearing: Jackfruit, Jamoon, Drumstick, Papaya, Guava; Ornamental : Krishnachura, Radhachura, Chhatim) 
   Total area of plantation – 887 ha
   Financial :- In 2009-10 (up to January, 2010) : Surpassed Rs. 83.5 crore (almost double of what had been expended in the twelve months of the previous year)
   Rural Road – Rs. 36.56 crore 
   Water Conservation tanks / ponds – Rs. 30.05 crore
   Afforestation - Rs. 5.07 crore
   Land Development - Rs. 5.00 crore 
   Micro Irrigation structure- Rs. 4.68 crore
• IBS for the marginalized section:- Assets created under IBS are:
  Haapa (Farm pond) - 2550 nos., Dug well – 110 nos, Vegetable garden – 650 nos. in the impoverished land and homestead land of SC, ST, BPL, LR Beneficiary, Small & Marginal farmers
• Involvement of SHGs in Raising Nursery and implementation of IBS :- 51 nos. of Female Self Help Groups duly trained have raised 22.38 lakh saplings this year and 190 nos. of SHGs have been trained to raise 170 nurseries @ 1 per GP. The IBS are being implemented with the direct and active supervision of the SHGs.
• Institutional Payment system:- The mode of NREGS payment has envisaged active participation of rural labourers to the banking system. In all 5,55,271 nos. of saving account have been opened in Post Office (4,04,184) and Bank (1,51,087).
• Integrated Approach:- Departments like Forest and Waste land development have set trends in utilization of so called un-productive land through works of afforestation. Together of them have spent Rs. 3.56 crore in this year. Agriculture, Horticulture, Fishery & Irrigation departments have also submitted their proposals for Rs. 2.79 crore, Rs. 18 lakh, Rs. 1.41 crore & Rs. 4.11 crore respectively to be taken up soon under NREGS. The latest addition in this approach have been the LAMPS, Kashipur and Chirudih who have sported to work under NREGS.
• Constraints :- 
  1. Activities of Left Wing Extremist groups in as many as eight blocks / thanas has affected the normal pace & normal activities of development in quite a few pockets. Focus in these vulnerable areas have been the implementation of IBS through local SHGs as normal community works are hard to take up.
  2. Timely payment due to lack of infrastructure and man power faced by the postal department.
• Mission to accomplish:- 
  1. The district presently enjoys and shall retain its top rank in the state of generating maximum days of employment to each applicant family (44 days up to the month of January, 2010). 
  2. Rain water harvesting tank with storage capacity of at least of 10,000 cubic meter at 170 Gram Panchayats and 20 Blocks. 50 nos. of such tanks are presently ongoing.
  3. Check Dam – Out of the 148 sites pinpointed by the Department of Science & Technology, work is progress in 24 such sites. The district set a target of completing 54 such dams before the onset of monsoon. Its completion would ensure conservation of 60,000 cubic meters of water and additional irrigation facility to 15 hector land thereby enabling an additional crop yield of 6 metric ton of foodgrains. 
  4. District has targeted the completion of atleast one nursery of 10,000 seedling each in every Gram Panchayat (170 nos.) through SHGs