Aajeevika Mela
A30-member women SHG team under the Arunachal State Rural Livelihoods Mission (ArSRLM) is participating in the ‘Aajeevika Mela’ being conducted by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India (MoRD) at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from April 14 to 23. The ArSRLM will also put up two rural products exhibition stall cum sale counters in the mela. In an interaction session with the SHG team members before their journey to New Delhi at SIRD conference hall on Monday, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Cooperation Minister Alo Libang, encouraged them saying that they were fortunate to have associated with DAY NRLM, as it has provided them an opportunity to participate in a national level exhibition cum sale. He assured all possible support from the state government to facilitate comfortable stay for the team. After giving a patient hearing to all women SHG members, the Minister appreciated the ArSRLM officials for their hard work in moulding the attitude of women folk in their selected area of activities in a short duration of merely six months. Sharing their experiences, women members expressed their gratitude towards the block and state team at ArSRLM. They said that the persistent mobilisation and orientation has enabled them to rediscover themselves and ArSRLM has also provided them with a platform in the form of their SHG. Secretary (RD&PR) Dani Salu and CEO cum SMD ArSRLM, Tabin Siga also spoke on the occasion. Among others, Director SIRD B J Duia was also present. While the women SHG team will participate in the inaugural programme on March 14, four SHG members along with State Coordinator N Breeze Doye will run the exhibition stall in the mela.
Rs. 23,443 crores released for MGNREGS for Mission Water Conservation
The Ministry of Rural Development has released Rs. 23,443.09 crore to the States today as first tranche for Financial Year 2017-18 under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). The amount released
includes all pending liabilities as on 31st March, 2017. It is also to ensure priority work on water conservation measures. The Government is laying considerable emphasis on Water Conservation and Water Management works under MGNREGS. All States have been advised to ensure that such works are taken up wherever required with appropriate technical and scientific scrutiny. In collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources, Mission Water Conservation Guidelines have been developed and shared with the States. A list of 2264 water-stressed Blocks, as ascertained from the Ministry of Water Resources, has been prepared. These Blocks are located in 324 districts of 21 States. In a recent communication to the States, the Ministry has advised the States to ensure not less than 65% expenditure on Natural Resource Management (NRM) Activities. There are 155 kind of works permissible under MGNREGS. Of these, 100 works are NRM related. In a communication to the Chief Secretaries, Secretary, Rural Development has requested them to accord top most priority to Water Conservation works under MGNREGS. Special thrust has to be ensured in drought prone regions and in districts/Blocks receiving inadequate rainfall. Apart from focusing on execution of works related to Water Conservation and Water Management, States have been requested to ensure work availability to poor households in poor regions on priority. A campaign to ensure a Job Card for every household that reported deprivation in SECC has been going on. No poor household will be denied work in MGNREGS.
Centre to build 1 crore houses under PMAY-G by 2019
The Government today said that it has approved the construction of 1 crore houses with the financial implication of Rs. 81,975 crore for the period 2016-17 to 2018-19. The Minister of State for Rural Development Shri Ram Kripal Yadav said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha that as per provisional figures of Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011, approximately 4 crore rural households face housing deprivation. After accounting for the houses that were constructed under Indira Aawas Yojana, IAY and State sponsored housing schemes since 2011, it has been estimated that 2.95 crore more houses, with an anticipated variation of ± 10%, would need to be constructed to achieve the objective of ‘Housing For All’ by the year 2022. In the first phase (from 2016-17 to 2018-19) one crore houses are targeted for construction under Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana-Grameen, PMAY-G. Targets for the remaining period (till 2022) will be decided after verification and finalisation of permanent wait lists, based on SECC 2011 data by all States/UTs. Shri Yadav said that to provide technical support in achieving the targets of “Housing for All” a National Technical Support Agency (NTSA) for Rural Housing shall be set up at the national level. The Minister informed that to achieve the objective of ‘Housing for All’ various features have been incorporated into the scheme architecture of PMAY-G, some of which are as below:
• Availability of sufficient financial resources both in the form of budgetary support and borrowing from NABARD to meet the expenditure for construction of houses.
• Electronic transfer of assistance under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to resolve problems of delayed payments and expedite completion.
• Comprehensive online monitoring through the scheme MIS-AwaasSoft.
• Inspection and Geo tagging of houses, through the mobile appAwaasApp by beneficiaries to reduce delays.
• Increasing number of trained rural masons through Training, Assessment and Certification.
• Setting up of Programme Management Unit (PMUs) at state and sub state level to review progress on a daily basis, provide requisite technical support and facilitation and plug gaps in implementation using administrative funds available under the scheme.