NEW DELHI, April 25: The Centre has already released more than Rs 36,000 crore to the states/UTs in the current financial year (FY2020-21) for the development schemes of the villages, said Union Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, on Friday.
Tomar held a meeting with all the rural development ministers and concerned officials of the states and Union Territories via a video conference and urged them to scale up of the works under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G), Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), in the light of the relaxations granted by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in the non-containment areas w.e.f. April 20.
He informed that the Union Ministry of Rural Development has already released more than Rs 36,000 crore to the states/UTs in the current financial year.
The ministry has sanctioned Rs 33,300 crore under MGNREGA out of which Rs 20,225 crore has been released to liquidate all the outstanding dues of previous years towards wages and materials.
The said sanctioned amount is sufficient to meet the expenses under MGNREGA till June, 2020. The minister assured the states and UTs that adequate financial resources are available for the rural development programmes.
The Union Minister emphasised that although the challenge posed by the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic is very serious, it must be perceived as an opportunity by all states/UTs to develop and strengthen rural infrastructure, create employment opportunities in rural areas and facilitate diversification of rural livelihoods. - IANS, April 25: In view of the death of nearly 2,000 pigs due to a flu-like disease across the state, the Assam government on Saturday banned the sale of pork with immediate effect.
Agriculture Minister Atul Bora said the order will be in force till further notice.
The places where the deaths have been reported are being declared as containment zones.
Samples of the infected pigs are being sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal to ascertain the disease. The report is expected in a couple of days.
