By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net
Bhopal: The doors of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, (NREGS), are now open to thousands of Schedule Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Below Poverty Line, (BPL), families in Madhya Pradesh who had to leave their ancestral villages due to submergence of Narmada Valley Projects.
The Officers of Narmada Valley Development Authority, (NVDA), and Rural Development Department have been put to the task to prepare working plan so that needy displaced families could get the employment generated under the programme.
It may be mentioned here that 40,000 families from Indira Sagar, 37,143 families from Sardar Sarovar, 4,592 families from Omkareshwar reservoir and 3,580 families from Maan and Jobat reservoir area were displaced. These families had been resettled at different places and rehabilitation sites. A major part of total displaced families comprises SC, ST and BPL families. Though each eligible family had been provided special employment subsidy but getting regular “mazdoori” (labour work)at new habitat was found to be a major problem among these families.
The Additional Chief Secretary NVDD & Vice Chairman of NVDA Pradeep Bhargava while talking on the issue informed that to generate the additional employment for displaced families under NREGS, the construction of water courses and field channels would also be brought under the NREGS. He said that a sub-plan named “Sahastra Dhara” had been prepared to execute the construction of water courses under NREGS. He said that “Sahastra Dhara” plan would be implemented in phases. First phase would include Bargi, Maan and Jobat project command area. It is estimated that minimum Rs one lakh per family would be spent over the period of three years, Bhargava added. ([email protected])