Panchayat raj and rural development minister Seethakka
As part of this effort, we are working towards providing employment to at least 60 families in every gram panchayat and have launched large-scale works in the villages,” she said. The VBG RAMG scheme places a 40% financial burden on the state. Hence, the Centre should cover 90% of the funding during this El Niño period, as it has done in the past under MNREGA, she demanded. Speaking about the impact of El Nino, revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said the present situation was particularly critical, despite El Niño having occurred in several earlier years, including 1951, 1965, 1972, 1982, 1987, 2002 and 2015.
“Lack of rainfall due to El Niño leads to reduced agricultural activity, which in turn decreases work opportunities for rural laborers and lowers family incomes. Therefore, we are providing employment to every laborer who seeks it.
We are taking steps to prevent any drinking water crisis, regardless of the challenges that may arise,” she said while speaking during a short discussion on El Nino in the assembly. “El Niño conditions primarily give rise to two issues in rural areas — water scarcity and a lack of employment. However, under the supervision of the rural development department, we have implemented measures through the rural drinking water supply system to ensure that there is no drinking water shortage. Stating that the Centre had not provided even a single rupee in additional funding for drinking water, she demanded that it step up and play a supportive role by releasing funds. Whether through MGNREGA or VBG RAMG, the objective of the employment guarantee scheme is to provide jobs to people during times of drought or hardship.
Hyderabad: Panchayat raj and rural development minister Seethakka on Friday urged the Centre to release funds and extend support to Telangana govt to combat the impact of El Nino on various sectors.