Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (NR)

Pics : Dayanand Kukkaje

Mangalore, Jan 26: In the official figures given, out of the houses constructed so far under the Indira Awas Yojana a mindboggling 1,134 houses have still to be constructed with only a miniscule 133 houses constructed so far.

These are official figures quoted in the report submitted by DK zilla panchayat to the district vigilance and in-charge committee meeting chaired by MP D V Sadanand Gowda.  

Speaking at the meeting held at the zilla panchayat auditiorium here on Friday January 25 to review development programmes and the progress of central government-sponsored schemes, committee chairman Sadanand Gowda expressed his great disappointment at the lack of achievements of different taluks in this regard. After reviewing the progress achieved under Indira Awas Yojana, Gowda lashed out at the TP executive officers for not making proper follow-ups in connection with the scheme.  

According to the EOs they claimed to have been tied up with various duties like revision of voters list and others. However they were silent when Gowda queried them as to what they were doing before that. In the midst of this din the taluk panchayat presidents present in the meeting complained that they were not being informed about any progress achieved through schemes like Indira Awas.
 
Gowda pointed out to the EO's that no part of the three-tier panchayat system should be ignored 'as it is against the principle of power decentralization' and therefore instructed the EOs to inform and even submit reports to the president and vice-president of the taluk panchayat about the schemes being implemented and also hold regular meetings with them on development works and advised them on the need to take them into confidence.

With regard to the minimum wages, favouring implementation of the Kasaragod model Sadanand Gowda said efforts were on to increase the minimum wages to be given in National Employment Guarantee Scheme in district to Rs 125. In this context he informed 'In Kasaragod district of Kerala, the scheme had been revised to suit the local conditions. The wage structure had been fixed at Rs 125 a day per person.'

Gowda said presently the amount has been fixed at Rs 74 here, but  efforts were on to convince the government to allow a wage structure of Rs 125 a day for this district too, he promised. On the occasion Gowda also reviewed the progress of other development programmes, for instance a study report of the watershed department and measures undertaken by the social forestry segment of the forestry department to distribute plant saplings this year in the district.
 
CEO A M Kunjappa said that as per government guidelines the scheme would be implemented from April, when priority would be given to the upgradation of roads and drains. He also informed that a circular has been received from the government that the workers no longer need to open an account with a bank if they receive their wages under SGRY scheme, which was mandatory earlier, he added.

ZP president K P Sucharitha Shetty and vice-president Jayashri Kodandur were present.