Tribal Plus to attract tribalfamilies to the MGNREGS

The State government is gearing up to launch an innovative programme titled ‘Tribal Plus’ to attract tribal families to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MGNREGS) in the State.

When the MGNREGS was launched a few years back, it could attract every section of workers, including tribal workers in the district. But gradually a large number of tribal workers left it owing to the uncertainty in getting wages in time.

‘‘The Tribal Plus project envisages to attract more tribal families to the scheme by providing more working days and ensuring wages by the end of every week,’’ S. Unnikrishnan Nair, Joint Development Commissioner, MGNREGS, told The Hindu.

‘‘While a worker in the general category is getting 100 days work under the MGNREGS, a tribal worker would get 200 working days under the new project,’’ Mr. Nair who is also the joint programme coordinator of MGNREGS, Wayanad, said.

The project would be launched in the tribal populated areas of the State, including Attappady, Agali and Wayanad, during the inception of the financial year, he said.

Each tribal family would provide 50 day work within May 31 in the first phase and their wages would be provided by the end of every week.

Wages would be provided with the support of the Kudumbasree Mission as per the working instructions proposed to be issued by the State government, Mr. Nair said.

Preference would be given to the works such as construction of roads to tribal hamlets, agriculture-related works on the tribal land, digging of wells and small ponds as well as construction works of cattle sheds in tribal hamlets.

An action plan would be made for the project after a team of officials consisting of ward member of concerned grama panchayats, scheduled tribe promoters and technical staff of the MGNREGS visited each tribal hamlet in each panchayat.

Wayanad District Collector S. Suhas directed local administrative bodies to submit a working plan for the purpose before May 31.

Mr. Suhas, who is also the district programme coordinator, MGNREGS, would meet senior officials of various departments at the Collector’s chamber here at 2 p.m. on Friday to discuss the project further.