MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI PRADEEP JAIN `ADITYA`)
(a) & (b) The Ministry has undertaken various initiatives for effective implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in Integrated Action Plan (IAP) districts affected by left wing extremism such as;
1. To ensure timely wage payment to the MGNREGA workers, cash wage payments has been allowed
subject to certain conditions in areas where the outreach of Banks/Post Offices is inadequate.
2. To ensure adequate human and technical support to the district and sub-district levels for implementing MGNREGA, the Ministry has suggested that States can deploy core professional staff namely Panchayat Development Officer and junior engineer in each Gram Panchayat of the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected Districts.
3. Ministry has issued notification allowing construction of play grounds under MGNREGA
in districts as identified by the Central Government for Integrated Action Plan.
4. Prime Minister Rural Development Fellows will be appointed in IAP districts for fixed duration to provide managerial support to district administration in the implementation of rural development programmes.
So far as Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) is concerned, the following relaxations have been taken for faster implementation of the programme in these areas:
(i) The Ministry has allowed revision of the Core Network for inclusion of left-out habitations
(as per 2001 census) in the Selected Tribal and Backward Districts under IAP (as identified by the Planning Commission and Ministry of Home Affairs), Tribal (Schedule-V Areas), Blocks adjoining International Border under Border Area Development Programme (BADP), the 10 Hill States and the Desert areas (as identified under DDP) and in the Plain areas (as per 2001 census).
(ii) The Ministry has extended the Cluster approach from International Border blocks to International Border Districts of State of Arunachal Pradesh by clubbing population with
in a path distance of 10 km and treating as a Cluster for eligibility under the programme.
(iii) For the Selected Tribal and Backward Districts under IAP (as identified by Planning Commission and Ministry of Home Affairs):-
(a) Minimum tender package amount is reduced to Rs.50.00 lakh.
(b) In the tender document, the `M` value (multiplying factor) in `Bid capacity assessment formula` has been increased from `2` to `3` to increase the bid capacity of a contractor.
(c) The time limit upto 24 calendar months has been allowed for completion of works.
Cost of Insurance Premium against risks such as damaging or burning of Plants & Machinery etc. of contractors can also be included in the estimate.
(c) to (e) Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) Operational Guidelines provide for convergence of Rural Development schemes of other Ministries/Departments with NREGA. Accordingly, Ministry of Rural Development has issued Convergence Guidelines with Ministries of Environment & Forests, Agriculture, Water Resources; Department of Land Resources
and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and Swaranjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana of Department of
Rural Development and the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) (Total Sanitation Campaign) of the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. The State Governments are required to implement these Convergence
Guidelines.
