Pedda Peta villagers rally for MGNREGA jobs, prompting officials to promise reinstated job cards and new work projects
Visakhapatnam: On Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary, Pedda Peta village in the MK Panchayat became the centre of attention as residents rallied for the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) works. The event highlighted the struggles of the tribal population in the area.
Villagers appealed for assistance, prompting immediate action from the Anakapalle District Water Management Agency. Project officer P. Purnima Devi, assistant project officer P. Chinna Rao, and mandal development officer V. S. Nageswara Rao visited the village to listen to grievances and assess the situation. Pangi Rajulamma, a resident with a job card, shared that she had been unemployed for two years due to a lack of opportunities. She explained the challenge of travelling 12 kilometres through rugged terrain to access MGNREGA works in MK Patnam Panchayat.
Despite Pedda Peta hosting 25 families with land concession pattas and 26 with Recognition of Forest Rights (ROFR) pattas, no MGNREGA works have been initiated in the village. Out of around 100 families with job cards, 30 have been cancelled due to the absence of work.
In response, Purnima Devi assured the community that cancelled job cards would be reinstated, new ones issued, and MGNREGA projects initiated on forest lands within the village’s revenue limits.
