MGNREGA helps improve school infrastructure in DK

MANGALURU: The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme has been able to help many government schools in Dakshina Kannada (DK), improve their infrastructure in the last fiscal. The government took up work in schools, along with the department of public instruction. The following categories of work were undertaken—construction of toilets, compound walls, midday meal rooms, kitchen gardens, rainwater harvesting and sports grounds. This financial year, under MGNREGA, construction of 153 washrooms in government schools in the district, is being taken up.
Kishan Rao BS, assistant district project coordinator, said that the right-to-work scheme under the ministry of rural development was in collaboration with the department of public instruction, however, the project became active only in the last two years in the district. Currently, the model is running positively, and improving government school infrastructure in DK, he said.
Rao, giving out the achievements in the last fiscal, said that five kitchens had been built in schools. The cost of each kitchen is Rs 6.2 lakh, out of which the DPI pays Rs 2.2 lakh. “MGNREGA beneficiaries have also repaired and constructed playgrounds in nine government schools. As many as 17 schools have new washrooms constructed. The cost of each toilet is Rs 4.7 lakh, and the DPI pays Rs 3.5 lakh. The rainwater harvesting facilities have been set up at 50 schools, and the cost of each unit is between Rs 80,000 to Rs 1 lakh. Apart from that, the beneficiaries have built compound walls for 15 schools, and work on five schools is in progress,” he added. “The cost of sports grounds and compound walls, depends on the total area covered,” said Rao. Apart from that, under MGNREGA, a total 14 anganwadi centre buildings have been constructed in the last fiscal.
This fiscal year, only toilet construction will be prioritised, over all other projects. Rao said it is proposed to construct 153 washrooms. “All schools in the district have toilets. In some schools, it is not sufficient for all, and in others, the conditions are poor. We will construct additional toilets in a few schools. In other schools, the old ones will be demolished, and new facilities will come up,” said Rao.