Berhampur: Continuing its record breaking performance, Ganjam District has yet again topped the country in implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and creation of jobs. As per data released, during FY 2022-23, Ganjam district has topped the country in creation of highest number of mandays and providing 100 days of wage employment to the maximum number of families.
Ganjam District has created 2,74,17, 959 personsdays during the financial year 2022-23, the highest in the country. During the year, 4, 05, 378 persons got wage employment under MGNREGA. The district has also topped the country in giving the highest number of families 100 days of work. In Ganjam, 95,363 families received 100 days of work under this. Ganjam district has also achieved the distinction of giving the highest percent of wage days to women workers in Odisha. Hinjilicut Block of Ganjam district has received the distinction of giving the highest number persondays to women workers.
In Ganjam district about 77,338 projects were undertaken to be implemented under the MGNREGA scheme, out of which 25,235 projects have been completed and 52,103 projects are under implementation. The district administration has spent Rs 595 crore for wages and other project expenses. Under the leadership of Collector Dibya Jyoti Parida and Chief Development Officer Keerthi Vasan V, the district has been achieving new milestones in employment generation.
The focus of the administration has been on various sectors of the economy to support livelihoods of the people in the rural areas and thereby creating valuable assets like buildings, roads and ponds etc. The district administration has taken up numerous projects, such as poultry farming, mushroom farming, cattle sheds, dug well, fodder cultivation, rural connectivity, culvert, renovation of tanks, playgrounds, cremation grounds, AWC buildings, rural parks, and rural libraries among others. The district not only focused on taking up large number of projects to provide employment, it also flexed its muscles to complete the projects so that durable and sustainable projects can be created.
Besides, the district administration has also stressed to improve the livelihood support of the vulnerable through MGNREGS. It took up and completed individual beneficiary projects like Cattle sheds, Dug well, Fodder cultivation, Mo-upakari bagicha, Poultry shed, Land Development, Vermi/Nadep compost pits, Recharge pits, Soak pits, Multipurpose farm ponds and Field bounding which would result in additional income to the people.