Over 30,000 get jobs under MGNREGS in Sambalpur

Terming it as a significant achievement, district coordinator of MGNREGS Sobhit Bishi said it is for the first time that such large number of people have been engaged under MGNREGS in the district.

SAMBALPUR: Even as the ongoing lockdown has resulted in mass unemployment in villages, the adminstration gave jobs to as many as 30,670 people under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) across nine blocks of the district. After the first phase of lockdown, around 4,000 people from rural areas of the district, showed up to seek employment under MGNREGS. During the last week of April, the administration had set a target to provide jobs to at least 15,000 people. 

As per records, as on Saturday, 6,838 people were employed in Jujumura block and 5,297 in Jamankira. Similarly, 4,440 people were employed under the scheme in Kuchinda block and 4,118 in Bamra. This apart, 2,606 people in Rairakhol block, 2,115 in Maneswar, 2,032 in Rengali, 2,010 in Naktideul and 1,214 in Dhankauda were engaged in various activities under the employment guarantee scheme

At present, tasks being executed under MGNREGS include village development projects like construction of multi-utility water tanks, development of canals, renovation of existing water tanks, digging of wells, water absorption trench, land development and road construction in the nine blocks of the district.

Terming it as a significant achievement, district coordinator of MGNREGS Sobhit Bishi said it is for the first time that such large number of people have been engaged under MGNREGS in the district. “We have now been given an even higher target of employing 49,000 people in the district under the Central Government scheme. He hoped more people, who lost their jobs as small time labourers and factory workers, will come forward to seek work under the scheme, he said.