Bhubaneswar, May 25: The state government Monday decided to take up plantation activities in convergence with MGNREGA funds, official sources said.
The decision in this regard was conveyed to all the district collectors through a video conferencing by Chief Secretary G C Pati. The chief secretary also asked the collectors to monitor the plantation activities regularly.
Similarly, the divisional forest officers (DFOs) and deputy directors of horticulture have been asked to bring all the issues to the notice of respective collectors. The collectors have also been asked to conduct district environment meetings regularly, an official source said.
Pati said that since rainy season is drawing closer, the land for plantation, seedlings and nurseries would be kept in all readiness for plantation activities. The collectors were also directed to involve village committees in plantation activities.
Development commissioner U N Behera said the district wise convergence plan for plantation during 201516 has been drawn up and sent to the collectors.
Panchayati raj secretary D K Singh, who was present in video conferencing, said the wages for undertaking plantation can be paid by utilizing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) funds and the cost of the materials be met from departmental funds.
Singh also clarified that whenever departmental fund was not available, both the costs can be met from the MGNREGS funds maintaining the prescribed ratio of labour component at district level.
The collectors have also been asked to take up horticultural activities in convergence with MGNREGS funds.
However, collectors have been asked not to take up banana plantation under the scheme. As banana is treated as a crop, it cannot get funds from the MGNREGS, panchayati raj secretary Singh said. PTI
