MGNREGS expenditure | Desilting taking lion’s share, focus on agri: Govt to Andhra, Telangana

“In the current FY 2024-25 (till 16.05.2024), it has been observed that a significant portion of the expenditure (58.5%) was made towards renovation and desilting works,” the ministry advisory to Principal Secretary, Department of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Telangana, said.

To Andhra Pradesh, ministry’s advisory to Principal Secretary, Department of RDPR on May 7 stated that in the current FY 2024-25 (till April 2024), renovation and desilting made up 69.5% of the expenditure.

This indicates that the bottom-up approach, mandated by the Act, has not been followed, instead a top-down approach for planning of works has been taken in the state to generate high persondays and high expenditure, the advisories to both the states said, adding that a serious review is required at state-level as large expenditure has been made under renovation and desiliting.

The advisories also said the states should focus on agriculture and allied activities and enhance the diversity of work taken up so that livelihood opportunities of beneficiaries may be improved.

Indicating a lack of strategic action on part of both the states to address such issues, the advisory to Telangana specifically pointed to 94,241 works related to renovation and desilting (spillover and new), amounting to Rs 596.28 crore, while for Andhra Pradesh it mentioned 2.16 lakh works related to renovation and desilting are being undertaken (spillover and new), amounting to Rs 676.6 crore.

Agriculture and allied activities comprise only 30.12% of the expenditure as against the required 60% in Telangana during the current FY 2024-25 (till May 20, 2024), the advisory stated. In Andhra Pradesh, only 41.65% of expenditure has been done on agriculture and allied activities, it said.

“Your urgent personal attention and intervention is requested for better implementation of MGNREGS as per the guidelines,” said the advisory, issued with “approval of competent authority”.

“During a visit of the central team in July 2022, it was found that a large number of works related to desilting of MI (minor irrigation) tanks, staggered trenches in plain land, splitting of works for maintenance were undertaken in every successive year, which is in contravention of the Annual Master Circular 2022-23. It was advised earlier not to take up desilting work for the sake of employment generation without any physical outcome,” the advisory said.