By Express News Service
Published: 24th January 2016 04:54 AM
VISAKHAPATNAM: Andhra Pradesh has been chosen for the best state award for maintaining transparency and ensuring timely disbursement of wages during implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for the fiscal of 2014-15. The award will be presented by the Union Rural Development minister Birender Singh at the MGNREGS Sammelan scheduled to be held in Delhi on February 2.
In a release, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development minister Ch Ayyanna Patrudu said that the state was in top place for implementation of direct benefit transfer (DBT) system under the MGNREGS among other states in the country. “We could successfully prevent duplication by linking Aadhaar cards with the MGNREGS job cards. We have already identified the skilled labour as well as ensured timely payment of their wages in a transparent manner and achieved good results,” he said. With the support of the Postal and the IT departments, the wages are being paid to about 95 per cent of job card holders directly into their bank accounts by linking their job cards with Aadhaar numbers in all the 13 districts of the state. The authorities are also implementing the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) for speedy disbursal of wages.
During 2014-15, the government used the Electronic Fund Management System (EFMS) and the Mobile Fund Management System for disbursal of wages amounting to Rs 3,100 crore. Of this, about Rs 2,153 crore had been credited to the accounts of the job card holders directly using the biometric system.
Two quality assessment teams have been constituted at the state-level and also two more were in each district to ensure quality works, the minister said.