@ Vikas Sharma I Sr Journalist
At a function held in New Delhi today (19.12.2019), Mr. S.P. Velumani, the Minister for Municipality Administration, Rural Development, and Implementation of Special Schemes, received a total of 12 awards from Mr. Narendra Singh Tomar, the honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, including four awards for the excellent implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in the year 2019; an award for the exemplary performance of State Rural Development and rural administration; two awards for excellent implementation of Rurban Mission and its planning; and the gold award under Deendayal Upadhyay Grameen Kaushalya Yojana for providing training and job opportunities.
For the excellent implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme at rural administrative bodies in Tamil Nadu, the Central Government today honoured the state government with,
Two state-level national awards
Four district-level national awards
One Panchayat Union-level national award
One Panchayat-level national award, adding up to eight awards,
And,
National award to the State Rural Development and Rural Panchayat Agency, for their excellent and effective performance,
Under the Rurban Scheme, second place (for the overall effectiveness), third place for excellent planning based on survey reports, and two national awards for efficient implementation of the schemes,
Under the Deendayal Upadyay Gram Kaushalya Yojana (DDU – GKY) Scheme, national award for imparting employment-based training, adding up to a total of 12 national awards. The Centre had honoured the Tamil Nadu government with these 12 national awards today.
In addition to these, the Department of Rural Development had already won 19 awards for the current year of 2019-20. Adding the 12 awards that were given today, the total tally reaches an impressive 31 awards this year. The Centre has honoured the Tamil Nadu Government with 98 various national awards for the excellent performance and implementation of various rural development schemes from the year 2012 onwards.
At the national level, Tamil Nadu had won the following national awards for rural development schemes, from the year 2012 onwards:
• 18 state-level national awards
• 23 district-level national awards
• 13 Panchayat Union level national awards
• 44 Village Panchayat level national awards, adding up to a total of 98 national awards
National Award 2019 for Rural Administration
The Centre had honoured the Tamil Nadu State Government with 12 awards today (19.12.2019) for the exemplary implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in 2019.
Two National Awards at State-Level
Tamil Nadu had won the award for the fastest execution of the projects
Tamil Nadu has won two awards for the best implementation of schemes to replenish and preserve the natural and water resources in the state.
Four District-level National Awards
Vellore district won two national awards for the excellent implementation of the MGNREGS plans at district-level, and for building the best infrastructure for storing water
Trichy district for being the best district in the timely disbursal of salaries to the workers
Karur District won the second place for timely execution of projects, adding up to four national awards in the category
One National Award at Panchayat Union level
The Kancheepuram District- Saint Thomas Panchayat Union was chosen for the National award for the best Panchayat Union for promptly paying wages to the workers within the stipulated time.
One National Award at Village Panchayat level
Sivagangai district – Devakottai Panchayat Union – Selugai Village Panchayat was given the national award today for the best implementation of the MGNREGS scheme.
Similarly the State Rural Development and Village Administration Agency, located at Maraimalai Nagar, was given the award for the most effective rural development concern in the state.
Under the urban Scheme, second place (for the overall effectiveness), third place for excellent planning based on survey reports, and two national awards for efficient implementation of the schemes.
Under the Deendayal Upadyay Gram Kaushalya Yojana (DDU – GKY) Scheme, national award for imparting employment-based training, adding up to a total of 12 national awards. The Centre had honoured the Tamil Nadu government with these 12 national awards today.
In addition to these, the Department of Rural Development had already won 19 awards for the year 2019-20, adding up to an impressive 31 awards this year.
Achievements of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
From 2011-12 onwards
Creation of 283.47 crore working days and payment of wages of Rs. 42,135 crores
A sum of Rs. 5,140.11 crores were spent for the construction of child-friendly Anganwadis, toilets, Panchayat Union buildings and other such infrastructures.
With 85 percent participation of women, Tamil Nadu was ranked the No. 1 state in the implementation of the 100 days employment scheme.
77.54 percent of the total funds allocated was spent for managing the natural resources.
25.54 lakh tasks have been completed until now.
Under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, in Tamil Nadu, from 2014-15 onwards
• 7,303 Anganwadi centres
• 3,708 child-friendly Anganwadi toilets
• 1,800 Panchayat office buildings
• 485 Grain storage facilities
• 15,000 cattle water troughs
• 62,000 goat and chicken shelters
• 550 KM long school compound walls
• 50 rural markets and 485 open spaces for drying harvested grains
• 179 milk collection centres
• 270 water service centres
• Rural infrastructure activities, like 12,446 Village Panchayat Service Centres were constructed under this scheme
In order to replenish the national and water resources, from the Financial Year 2015-16 onwards,
40,000 dams and 69,391 ponds were built
250 KM stone hedges and 15,200 KM long mud barriers were built
8,400 water replenishing bunds, 9,300 water pits
5,25,000 individual suction pits
76,000 Community suction pits were created under this scheme.
Under the scheme to plant trees along roadsides, about 2.99 crore tree saplings were planted along 32,500 KM long road.
After the success of renovation tasks of Vellore District Naga River, similar river renovation programmes have been taken up at Thiruvallur, Coimbatore, Thirunelveli, Thiruvannamalai and Ramanathapuram districts too, on priority basis.
Under Jalshakti Abhiyan water resource enrichment programme, 7,983 Village Panchayat projects have bene taken up in 244 drought-prone regions of 27 districts in the state.
Under this scheme, out of the targeted 42,717 projects, work have started for 1,25 lakh projects. This is 293 percent higher than what was being aimed at.
Similarly, out of the targeted 60,667 projects that were aimed at completion, a total number of 1.51 lakh projects have been completed. This is 249 percent more than the total target that was aimed at.
A sum of Rs. 1250 crores have been allocated in order to increase the water retention capacities of various water bodies in the rural areas under the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Conservation and Augmentation Scheme, 2019.
Infrastructure activities like construction of moats, ponds, and water-storage bodies have commenced under the MGNREGS plan with the Centre’s assistance of Rs. 750 crores.
The state government has allocated funds to the tune of Rs. 500 crores for desilting the water bodies and strengthening the banks of these water bodies.
Achievements of the Department of Rural Development
In the past eight years (2011-2019)
Rural road works at a cost of Rs. 17,199 crores
3.86 lakhs drinking water schemes, at a cost of Rs. 6,329 crores
20.87 lakh streetlamps at a cost of Rs. 875 crores
543 bridges at a cost of Rs. 807.63 crores
Solid Waste Management Systems at a cost of Rs. 654 crores
15.66 lakh houses have been constructed in the rural and sub-urban areas.
Tamil Nadu is the leading state in the implementation of the MGNREG Scheme.
283.47 crore human workdays were created until now, and wages to the tune of Rs. 42,135 crores have been paid.
An impressive 50 lakh toilets have been constructed in the rural areas.
All the 12,524 village Panchayats have become Open Defecation-Free zones.
