The Orissa government has resented inadequate fund release by the Centre under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).
The Centre gave Rs 85 crore under the scheme recently against Rs 702 crore sought by the state. With this, the total money paid to the state during the current fiscal has gone up to Rs 232 crore, sources said.
However, the low fund release has come as a major impediment for the state with NREGS work coming to a halt in 115 blocks and 2576 Gram Panchayats (Gps).. Sources said, 25 districts of the state have spent more than 60 percent of the money earmarked for the current fiscal making them eligible for release of second installment of fund from the Union Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD). However, they are yet to receive the same.
Out of the 25 districts with more than 60 percent expenditure record, seven districts have spent more than 80 percent. On the other hand, three districts have negative balance in their NREGS account, which meant they have spent more than the earmarked amount. Based on the labour demand of the districts, the labour budget for 2009-10 was prepared at Rs 2092 crore. However, the Empowered Committee meeting of the MoRD took a decision to fix the labour budget at Rs 1059 crore for Orissa during 2009-10 with the Central liability put at Rs 1016 crore. Though the Centre was supposed to release Rs 635 crore as the first tranche of assistance in the first current fiscal, the state, till the end of January 2010, has received only Rs 147 crore. This came in two installments of Rs 54.65 crore and Rs 93.04 crore.“The situation is alarming and the NREGS work in 115 blocks has come to a halt”, a senior official of the state panchayatiraj department said.