BJP trying to lift NREGS: Errabelli

Warangal: The BJP government is trying to lift the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) by reducing man days and sanctioning only Rs 7 crores out of Rs 13-crore allocation, alleged panchayat raj minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao.

The minister, who distributed awards to the best village panchayats at a programme held in Jangaon district on Saturday, alleged that with the cutting in funds, man-days and the material components of the scheme, the people in rural areas were not getting enough workdays under the scheme.

However, he said, the state government, as part of its rural development agenda, has sanctioned funds for new panchayat buildings for every village and provided the facilities such as nurseries, dumping yards, graveyards, Palle Prakruthi Vanams and Rythu Vedikas. Since, 2019, the state government has sanctioned around Rs 12,000 crores to panchayats in the state to date, the minister said.

He alleged that without understanding the ground reality, the BJP and Congress leaders were making baseless allegations against the state government. “They (opposition party leaders) do not have brains. They are not sanctioning funds in the states which they are ruling but are demanding the BRS government to sanction additional funds to panchayats,” he said.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who understood the problems of the farmers, has sanctioned Rs 10,000 per acre for crop losses. But the BJP and Congress parties failed to sanction at least Rs 3,000 per acre in the states ruled by them, he added.

The minister announced a Rs 10 lakh reward to each village panchayat which received the best village panchayat award and appreciated the officials of the concerned departments, sarpanchs, village secretaries and panchayat staff for their collective efforts to place their respective villages in top positions in terms of the development.

MLAs T. Rajaiah, M. Yadagiri Reddy, ZP chairman Sampath Reddy, district collector Shiva Lingaiah, additional collector Prapul Desai and DRDO Rami Reddy were present along with others.