Speed up EGS works in scarcity-like situation: Patil

Nashik, Aug 1: Maharashtra EGS Minister Harshwardhan Patil on Thursday, July 31 directed the administration to speed up EGS works to provide some relief to people in scarcity-like situation in the state.

''There is scarcity-like situation all over the state. In Nashik region, problems of drinking water and fodder are getting difficult.

In such a situation, the administration should provide more attention towards providing work for those who are willing, availability of work in 2-3 km area, availability of drinking water and fodder. This will create belief among common people that the government is behind them. For this, road, water conservation, forestation works under various Employment Guarantee Schemes (EGS), which will accumulate most labourers, should be speeded up,'' Mr Patil said during the stock-taking meeting of the State Rural EGS here. This was the 6th such meeting.

Earlier, such meetings were held in Konkan, Pune, Amravati, Nagpur and Aurangabad divisions.

State Agriculture Minister Balasaheb Thorat, Minister of State for Agriculture Rana Jagjit Singh Patil were also present on the occasion.

District Collectors and CEOs of all the five districts of the division -- Nashik, Dhule, Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar -- were present on the occasion.

There are 13,782 works on shelf while the man-days creation capacity of these works is 55,839. In 53 out of the 54 talukas of the district, the rainfall is less than 50 per cent this year.

The rainfall percentage in the division is as follows: Nashik (26.58 %), Dhule (29.75 %), Nandurbar (37.18 %), Jalgaon (26.89 %) and Ahmednagar (17.33 %).

The sowing in the division is only 56.17 per cent this year as compared to last year's 99 per cent till this time of the year.

This includes Nashik (21.10 %), Dhule (70.03 %), Nandurbar (93.61 %), Jalgaon (85.06 %) and Ahmednagar (17.70 %). From August one, there will be 50 per cent reduction in water supply, as there is only 27 per cent useful water stock in the division.

The government had sanctioned Rs 2,000 crore for EGS works. Out of these, Rs 750 cr had been given by the finance department. Also Rs 465 crore of the Maharashtra Rural EGS were available. The government will spend Rs 3,000 crore for drought. A Central committee will also arrive for inspection, Mr Patil added.

UNI