The State government will take steps to generate maximum work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to provide employment and prevent rural migration, Revenue Minister and in charge of Dharwad district R.V. Deshpande has said.
After visiting a fodder bank set up at Shiraguppi village in Hubballi taluk here on Tuesday, Mr. Deshpande told reporters that as severe drought coupled with loss of agricultural crops would increase migration of rural people in search of livelihood, the State government has chalked out plans to check migration by implementing the MGNREGA effectively in rural areas.
Last year, the State set a record at the national level by generating 10.47 crore man-days of work under the MGNREGA. This year, the Union government had set the target of creating 13 crore man-days of work for the State. Directions have been issued to the district administrations specifying the works to be taken up and the number of man-days to be generated. Works under at least one head of the MGNREGA would be taken up in each of gram panchayat, he added.
Water supply
Mr. Deshpande said the State government had released ₹730 crore to all the 30 districts to supply drinking water. Earlier, only the deputy commissioners were empowered to spend money meant for supplying drinking water through tankers. This time, the State government has extended the powers to tahsildars so that water is supplied as per the requirement and without delay. The government has put a ban on transportation of fodder outside the State till July-end. The State has been reeling under drought except in 2005, 2007, 2010, and 2017. Drought condition is taking a serious turn by the year and this demands permanent measures to combat it. Therefore, plans are afoot to take up afforestation works, Mr. Deshpande said.
Later, at a meeting to review drought relief works, Mr. Deshpande said government officials should compulsorily visit villages to gauge the seriousness of the drought and take up relief works accordingly. The government would initiate disciplinary action against officials who are slacking, he said.
Mr. Deshpande took officials to task for not inking an agreement with the owners of the private borewells to buy water, despite the government giving its consent four months ago. He had directed the officials concerned to take steps to restart non-functioning pure drinking water units within three days and drill borewells wherever necessary, he said.
Jagadish Shettar, MLA, said water scarcity would have been subsided in the city if the State government had given permission to the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) to lift additional quantity of water from the Malaprabha reservoir. HDMC sought permission to lift the water utilising ₹26 crore available with it, he said.