Anantapur: The Anantapur district administration has set a target of generating 1.2 crore workdays under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) for the financial year 2025-26, with Rs 375 crore allocated for wage payments, District Collector D Vinod Kumar V announced at a press conference on Thursday.

Addressing the media at the Mini Conference Hall at the Collectorate, the Collector highlighted the achievements of 2024-25, stating that 109.25 lakh workdays were provided to 2.12 lakh families, with Rs 287.01 crore disbursed as wages. He urged job cardholders to actively participate in the scheme to enhance their livelihoods. Dr Vinod Kumar detailed the works undertaken in 2024-25, including 238 tanks desilted, 575 farm ponds constructed, 1276 water conservation trenches, 2,347 dugout ponds and 374 irrigation canals desilted. Additionally, infrastructure development included: 194.57 km of CC roads (Rs 73.86 crore).

The Collector emphasised that job sites will have drinking water, shade, and first-aid kits to ensure worker welfare.

MGNREGS will be integrated with MIDH (Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture) for crop subsidies and planting material support across 1,500 hectares.

In 2024-25, water conservation efforts helped recharge 1.74 tmcft of groundwater. The district aims to bring the average groundwater level from 13 metres to below 8 metres in line with the Chief Minister’s directive. The Palle Pushkarini initiative, launched by Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, will focus on rejuvenating one tank per mandal through desilting and plantation drives.

The State government has declared seven mandals as drought-affected, Severely affected: Beluguppa, Guntakal, Peddavaduguru, Tadipatri, Yellanur and Yadiki. Moderately affected mandal is Vidapanakal.