Kolkata: Several major centrally sponsored rural development schemes that had been stalled in West Bengal for years are set to resume, state panchayat and rural development minister Dilip Ghosh announced on Thursday. He further announced that there were 11,154 vacant posts across different tiers of the panchayat structure, of which 6,536 will be filled in the first phase.
Revival of Central Schemes
Ghosh said several central schemes were halted in Bengal from 2022 over allegations of irregularities and corruption, which have now been revived. The minister added that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), which was largely inactive in Bengal since March 2022, has been revived and will continue till the end of June. On July 1, a revamped employment programme — Viksit Bharat: Guarantee for Rozkar and Aajeevika Mission- Grameen — will be rolled out nationwide.
New Employment Scheme Details
Under the new scheme, eligible rural households will be entitled to 125 days of wage employment in a financial year. The expenditure will be shared between the Centre and the states in a 60:40 ratio.
Expansion of Rural Connectivity
A major expansion of rural connectivity is also on the cards under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Ghosh said, adding that the Union rural development ministry had granted in-principle approval to Bengal's proposal on May 27. The proposal envisages construction of nearly 2,790 km of roads and 45 bridges across the state at an estimated cost of Rs 2,500 crore, to be shared between Centre and state.
Housing Assistance Survey
The Bengal government has also started the ‘AwaasPlus 2024' survey under PMAY-G to identify genuine beneficiaries for rural housing assistance, and a list will be prepared by July 20.
