GUWAHATI, Jan 11 - Verification of job cards under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) have resulted in detection of massive irregularities and led to cancellation of 1.98 lakh such cards in the State.
Addressing a press conference here today, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Panchayat and Rural Development Naba Kumar Doley said that MGNREGA job card verification has been started.
�Till date 68.48 per cent job card has been verified. Under this verification, 1.98 lakh job cards have been cancelled,� said the Minister.
Asked about the reason for cancellation of job cards, Doley said there were issues of complaints of wrongdoing, and also presence of names of people who have already died.
He said detailed investigation will be carried out to find out if there were any wrongdoings in this regard.
The Minister said that so far in 2016-17, Assam has utilized Rs 1,267.16 crore under MGNREGA, which is Rs 638.68 crore more than the previous year in the same period.
�The total number of man-days generated in 2016-17 is 317.92 lakh, which is 8.99 lakh more than the previous year in the same period. Total households provided employment in current year under MGNREGA is 11.70 lakh and total job car issued to employment seekers is 43.89 lakh,� Doley said.
He added that 100 per cent payment under MGNREGA has been made through electronic fund management system.
�From 2016-17, Geo-MGNREGA has been introduced in Assam. Till date 11,351 assets have been geo tagged and available in public domain,� he said.
Doley said that the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) will be launched in the State next week and the target is to provide housing facilities to 1.64 lakh beneficiaries during the current 2016-17 financial year.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will ceremonially launch the PMAY-G on January 19.
To address the gap in rural housing and in view of the Central Government�s commitment to provide �Housing for All� by 2022, the scheme of Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) has been re-structured into PMAY-G with effect from April 1, 2016.
Doley said that Rs 2,100 crore has been sanctioned under the scheme to the State in 2016-17.
�For the financial year 2016-17, housing facilities to 1.64 lakh beneficiaries will be provided, which is 41,000 more than that of last year i.e. 2015-16. Unit cost of the house has increased from Rs 75,000 in 2015-16 to Rs 1.30 lakh in 2016-17,� he said.
Selection of beneficiaries is being done as per the Socio Economic Caste Census 2011, said the Minister.
