Record 14.6 lakhs students to get educational grants of Rs 32 crores in Burdwan this year

Backward Classes Welfare department provides Pre matric book grants, Post Matric Scholarships, Hostel charges, maintenance grants and merit scholarships to students of ST, SC and OBC from class V to University students every year. District administration held Sub divisional meetings with Schools and other Educational Institutions this year in the months of May and July-August 2012 and sought their cooperation to ensure applications from all eligible students in time. We have received proposals from more than 90 % Institutes for pre matric and more than half for post matric scholarships. Last date is November 2012.

 

This is for the first time that applications are received in September 2012 in such a large number which generally used to be done by December every year. State Govt has already released Rs 17 crores in first phase and funds to students/ institutes has been released on first come first basis. In this year 14.6 lakhs students will be benefited which is almost double the number of previous years. In earlier years, disbursement of funds generally took place between December to May next year. But, this year District Administration is in the position to complete all disbursements within December 2012. Blocks have been asked to make disbursement of grants already received by November 2012.

 

Our sincere thanks to all Head Teachers and Principals of Colleges for their proactive role and cooperation.

MGNREGA in Burdwan crossed Rs 306 crores expenditure. highest expenditure by any District in the Country till Sep 2012

Preliminary reports from PIAs indicates that cumulative expenditure under MGNREGA in Burdwan district has crossed Rs 306 crores mark from April to 30th September 2012. District released Rs 331 crores to PIAs out of which MIS reports of Rs 292 cores are reflected online. Balance fund is also spent and MIS offline entry will be reflected shortly.

• Man days creation is almost 180 lakhs out of which 169 lakhs is reflected online. This is the highest expenditure and man days creation in any district of India in first six months of the financial year since inception of the programme in 2006-7.
• Burdwan stood 9th in the country in terms of mandays creation in 2011-12 financial year. This year we have further improved the position and now ranked at 6th in the country in terms of highest man days creation and first in Eastern India.
• Burdwan achieved Rs 400 crores expenditure in 2010-11 and Rs 359 crores in 2011-12. Man days created in these years was 210 lakhs and 190 lakhs respectively.
• In earlier years, highest expenditure in a year never crossed Rs 300 crores and man days never 150 lakhs.
• We are happy to note that 2.29 lakhs families who completed more than 15 days work under MGNREGA and belong to APL families have been selected for Health Insurance under RSBY making them entitle to get free treatment of Rs 30000 per year for a family of five. This is the most crucial achievement of MGNREGA in Burdwan.

There are reports from some of the GPs that payment of material purchases and wages in few cases could not be made as further fund release is awaited from Govt. of India. Rs 25 crores have been released recently. GOI has been requested to release further funds revising Labour Budget in view of unprecendent performance by District.

 

Now, district authority has decided to conduct special audit cum accounts verification at each GP level in next two months to ensure that all registers and accounts are maintained properly and procedures for purchases have been followed as per West Bengal Panchayat Accounts Rules 2003 as directed by State Govt. This special internal audit will also be useful in streamlining the accounting systems and identifying shortcomings of implementation/ procedures that can be rectified in time before December 2012.

 

It is also decided that no funds shall be released to GPs if it is found that

• works were executed without prior sanction of BDO & PO
• Purchase procedures/ tender formalities for purchase of materials not followed,
• MBs of the work measurement not maintained or authenticated by Nirman Sahayak/ Job Assistant/ Technical Assistant,
• Physical verification of the work site not conducted by Block authority and
• Photographs of the work are not submitted to BDO.

We hope that these measures will ensure transparency in the work execution. Intensive field visits by Team Burdwan, monitoring meetings with PIAs and staff involved and effective manpower motivation & work utilisation could achieve very good results in Burdwan. Keep it up TEAM BURDWAN.