Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, May 18: Refuting news reports appearing in some sections of the media on discontinuing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 10 districts, the panchayati raj department Monday clarified that the employment generation programme would continue in all districts.
“The news that appeared in some sections of the media, that the Centre will stop funding the MGNREGA programme and that the state government will stop MGNREGA projects in 10 districts, is baseless. As of now, the Centre has not decided to stop implementation of MGNREGA in any district of Orissa,” panchayati raj joint secretary BC Behera said here Monday.
The state government has already received its first instalment for implementation of the employment generation programme in the state.
“The state has demanded around Rs 2,300 crore for the financial year 2015-16 under the MGNREGA scheme. However, the state has received about Rs 500 crore for implementation of MGNREGA in the first instalment,” said Behera, who is the officer in-charge of the scheme.
The execution of developmental works taken under the programme, are going on across the state and will continue, the official added.
A section of media had reported that the Centre decided to stop the scheme in Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Ganjam, Khurda and Nayagarh districts.
The scheme is being implemented in the state since 2006-07. Every year, the state receives about `1,000 crore. Last financial year, the Centre had sanctioned Rs 1,035 crore against the demand of `18,000 crore under the programme.
