Himachal govt relaxes MGNREGA norms to accelerate rebuilding of state

Shimla, Sep 4 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said authorities will not have to wait for gram sabhas' approval to sanction work under the MGNREGA so that rebuilding of the state flood-hit state can be done at a pace.

The move will, Sukhu said, allow more work to be undertaken by the workers in the state, which has been ravaged by landslides, flash floods, and the washing away of scores of its key roads.

Since June 20, when the monsoon landed here, the state has suffered losses exceeding Rs 3,690 crore.

The Public Works department has pegged its losses at Rs 2,252 crore, and the Jal Shakti department at Rs 1,147 crore, according to the officials.

The chief minister said that to accelerate the rebuilding of structures, deputy commissioners have been empowered to approve new works under MGNREGA without waiting for approval from the gram sabhas.

Ex post facto approval from the gram sabha, panchayat samiti, and zila parishad would be obtained later, he said, according to a statement.

Moreover, the DCs can now sanction all categories of works, including land development projects, by relaxing the earlier cap of 20 works per gram panchayat.

The financial ceiling for individual land development projects has also been raised from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh. PTI BPL SMV VN VN