Toilet for every household in next 2 years, assures Jairam Ramesh

Tirupati: Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh lauded the State government for its effective and efficient implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). The State had stood first in the country and achieved exemplary results not only in the MGNREGS, but also in the implementation of other welfare schemes too, he said. Addressing a meeting organised by the district administration at Mahati Auditorium here on Friday, the Union Minister said that all the states should take an inspiration from Andhra Pradesh Government by studying the implementation of various schemes. With a farsighted vision, the Andhra Pradesh had provided an employment opportunity to majority of the people in the MGNREGS works, and made much efforts in increasing the productivity by developing natural resources like soil, water bodies, lakes and tanks, he said. The nation's average performance is 8 percent of total families were involved in 100 days of NREGS works, but the state's contribution is about 15 per cent, the Minister said. With the hard work of these NREGS workers, about 35 lakh acres of barren land was turned into fertile cultivated land during the past five years, he said. About 75 per cent of such lands belong to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and horticultural cultivation like Mango in about six lakh acres, he pointed. The social auditing system was also performing well and all states should take inspiration from it, he said. "We are working with an aim to provide toilet to every household in the next two years. By next March all household will have toilet facility in entire Karimnagar district and few other district follow this inspiration", Jairam Ramesh said. Tirupati MP Dr. Chinta Mohan said that farmers who ate rice with pickle are now eating complete meal, which is the greatness of MGNREGS scheme. About Rs. 70,000 crore have been spent on the scheme during the last five years and it had brought a revolution in the livelihood of many, he pointed. MLC Y. Srinivasulu Reddy, Rural Development Department principal secretary R. Subramanyam, Commissioner Sasibhushan, EGS director Karuna, District Collector Solomon Arokiaraj, Joint Collector Vinay Chand and DWAMA project director Chandramouli took part in the program. The Union Minister also interacted with women and field assistants of NREGS scheme.