Bhopal, Dec 22 Union Minister for Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday that the government has increased the allocation of funds for administrative expenditure from 6 per cent to 9 per cent to ensure the timely payment of salaries to Rozgar Sahayaks.
The minister said that the delay in payment of salaries to employment assistants, panchayat secretaries and technical staff had been a major concern, and that an important decision to increase administrative expenditure has been taken to ensure that they receive their pay in time.
The minister said that the allocation has been raised by one and a half times. The direct benefit of this will be that, out of the total proposed budget of Rs 1,51,282 crore, more than Rs 13,000 crore will be earmarked for salaries of employees and administrative requirements.
The Union Minister said this amount will be sufficient to meet salary payments of staff, and it will be ensured that there is no wastage of any kind in administrative expenditure. Shivraj Singh said strict monitoring will be done to prevent spending on jeeps, vehicles or other unnecessary heads.
He said Rozgar Sahayaks had flagged problems of delayed and withheld salaries, after which provisions were made in the rules that salaries must be paid first. For this, necessary directions will be issued in coordination with the States.
Shivraj Singh also told the employment assistants that this message must be properly communicated down the line and assured them that, after discussing their suggestions with the state governments, further improvements will continue to be made so that staff working at the panchyat level.
The minister also said that the Viksit Bharat-G RAM G is a historic scheme, which has now moved beyond being a bill and has become an Act after the President’s assent.
Chouhan said that some people are trying to create confusion about this scheme, but it is important to understand the truth and ensure that correct information reaches every village.
Chouhan said that under MGNREGA, there was earlier a guarantee of 100 days of employment, which has been increased to 125 days under the ‘Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana’.
He said this is not just an increase in days, but a further strengthening of the guarantee of employment. If, for any reason, employment is not provided, the provision of unemployment allowance has been made much more robust than before.
He said strict provisions have also been made regarding payment of wages. If wages are not paid within 15 days and the amount remains pending, the worker will be paid additional compensation.
It will no longer be acceptable for wages to remain stuck for months. Timely payment of wages has been ensured. The current wage rates will continue, and wages will increase every year.
The Union Minister said that under this scheme, four types of work will be undertaken. The first category includes works related to water conservation and saving water, such as ponds, check dams and other structures.
The second category includes works on basic village infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, Anganwadi centres, roads, drains and other facilities will be carried out. Necessary infrastructure for women associated with the livelihood mission and for FPOs will also be included.
The third category of works will be livelihood-based activities that help in expanding employment, while the fourth will include works related to protection from natural disasters, such as retaining walls, drainage systems and structures linked to rivers and streams.
--IANS
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