Andhra Pradesh Government has spent Rs 3,375 crores, ‘the highest amount in the country’, towards implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme(NREGS). Talking to reporters at the State Secretariat during the Prajahitham programme here, Andhra Pradesh Minister for Rural development and NREGS Dokka Manikya Vara Prasad said that Rs 22,512 crore expenditure has been incurred since the inception of NREGS benefiting 93 lakh households. He said that 179 crore mandays were provided to rural households at an average wage rate of Rs 93 amounting to total Rs 16,736 crores wages. Stating that 1.89 crore labourers accessed NREGS at least once, he said 34 lakh acres of fallow and cultivable land,belonging to SC, ST, and SM farmers,was taken up for comprehensive land development. He said 18,161 minor irrigation tanks were taken up stabilising an ayacut of 8.5 lakh acres while the rural connectivity was taken up to the extent of 25048 kms at an expenditure of Rs 1825 crores.
The Minister said that the scheme was implemented transparently by adopting biometric payment, social audit system and through vigilance wing.
Admitting that Rs 19.8 crore has been misappropriated in the scheme, he said, however 162 cases have been registered and 789 officials suspended under various charges. The research agency CRISIL has reported the purchasing power of villagers and nutrition levels has increased with implementation of NREGS in rural areas, he added. UNI