KOLLAM: The asset generation works undertaken by the National Rural Employment Gurantee Act (NREGA) workers in the state have been stalled owing to lack of funds for material components and for paying the salaries of skilled and semi-skilled labourers. From the total dues of Rs. 43.76 crore, Rs. 34.27 crore has been pending from the last financial year. Under the project which has been revamped recently, the labour-to material component ratio is 60:40, of which the wages of unskilled labourers are below 60 percent.
This is paid out by the central government through the national electronic fund money transfer system (efms). The skilled, semi-skilled and material payments that fall under the remaining 40 percent are paid jointly by the centre and respective state governments. “The skilled, semi-skilled and material payments are crucial in the progress of current works. The state government should take steps to allocate funds from similar projects under LSGDs instead of waiting for the central funds. This would badly affect the project implementation in the state,” an NREGA official told DC.
Under NREGA, the respective panchayats submit the estimate for skilled, semi-skilled and material costs to the state NREGA council through Management Information System (MIS). The council sanctions fund based on its urgency and availability. This has now been stalled keeping the works pending indefinitely.
The project expenditure during the last financial year was Rs. 2476.33 crore while this term, it has only been Rs. 420.35 crore with just six more months remaining for the financial year to end, which could be sourced in for the these works. The projects under NREGA under new directives give priority to asset generating works that would last for at least 5 to 25 years. Material supply is inevitable for such works generating assets. The central fund for the unskilled labourers had been delayed for at least eight months and was paid by July this year.
