West Bengal sets 60 work days target for employment scheme

The West Bengal Government will aim to provide up to 60 days’ job to beneficiaries under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) this year.

West Bengal has performed better than other States in the country in terms of providing rural employment, the Chief Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, said addressing a rally in Lalgarh village in West Midnapore district on Tuesday.

“In spite of starting from the middle of the year, we achieved 33 work days in just seven months which is higher than the national average of 31 work days. Our target is 60 days for the coming year and we are sure we will achieve that,” Ms Banerjee said.

The state government had earlier this year announced its plans to introduce biometric job cards to the NREGA beneficiaries to facilitate early payment.

The cards would enable the beneficiaries to get their payments on a daily basis instead of the long waiting period stretching often up to a month. “We are trying to pay the days’ wage on the same day,” Ms Banerjee pointed out.

The State Government was committed to its promise of creating employment for the people of the Lalgarh area.

“We are working on providing employment to the people of Junglemahal and the process of recruiting more than 10,000 youths as security personnel has already started,” she said.

Ms Banerjee also distributed land pattas and Kisan Credit cards on the occasion.