Centre has permitted the states to deploy two engineers per 6,000 people of rural households to meet the shortage of key technical staff needed for effective implementation of the job guarantee scheme NREGA.
For the north-eastern states and hill states like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttranchal, the Rural Development Ministry has allowed the respective governments to deploy two engineers per 3,000 population of rural households.
In a letter to all the state governments and Union Territory administration, the Rural Development Ministry has said "the expenditure on the (deployment of) engineers shall be met out of the component of administrative expenditure."
The ministry recently permitted the states to use 6 per cent of NREGA funds to meet their administrative expenditure incurred on the implementation of the programme.
During the last performance review committee meeting held on February 16 this year, the states had realised the issue of shortage of technical personnel in the blocks and gram panchayats for effective implementation of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA.
"This problem was seen to be resulting in breach of statutory provisions like delays in payment of wages, poor quality of works, forgery of muster rolls, failure in organisation of social audit and time-bound redressal of grievances," the ministry noted.
The states are also required to construct Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Sewa Kendra, which has been included as a permissible activity under NREGA, in blocks and gram panchayats on a priority basis. "In order the resolve the aforesaid difficulties and protect the interest of the workers, states are permitted to deploy two engineers per 6,000 population of rural households," the ministry said.
"In north-eastern states and hill states like J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttranchal, two engineers may be deployed per 3,000 population of rural households," it added.
A large number of engineers are required to be engaged under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA to facilitate host of technical works including prompt measurement of works and payment of wages, adherence to technical standards in execution of works, a ministry official said.
They are also required to facilitate issue of job cards to the rural households, receipt of application of works, proper planning of works, production of documents in gram sabha for proper organisation of social audit, timely redressal of grievances and proper maintenance of records, it said.
