Rs 58 crores sanctioned under MGNREGA and likely to be released today

There were reports that some GPs could not make wage payments under MGNREGA due to paucity of funds. Finally, Rs 58 crores has been alloted to Burdwan which is likely to be credited in our bank accounts by tomorrow evening. Arrangements to keep GP offices open on Saturday has been made so as to ensure disbursements to worker's accounts before pujas. We have requisition of Rs 43 crores for pending wages as received from GPs and additional Rs 33 crores against material payments.

Burdwan district spent Rs 313 crores, creating mandays of 176 lakhs as on 15th October 2012 since April 2012. If the payments of dues is made it will reach to Rs 386 crores.

 

Last year we spent Rs 359 crores from April to March 2012 creating man days of 190 lakhs. This year we have exhausted annual labour budget of 131 lakhs man days. Govt of India has allowed revised labour budget of 240 lakhs with funds of Rs 550 crores.

 

Burdwan stands at number one position in the country spending highest funds and creating maximum man days. Average works done by 5.87 lakhs families in the district is 30 days per family engaged in the MGNREGA.

 

Thanks all for their cooperation. Good work TEAM BURDWAN, keep it up...

Appeal for Environment friendly Puja Celebrations - local bodies to place dustbins at immersion ghats

Durga Puja celebrations have started today. All preparations for Pandels, permissions and purchases completed by now. We hope all community Puja Committees have obtained permission and license for Pujas.

 

Do you know that one of the conditions make it mandatory to segregate organic materials like flowers, offerings, clothes etc from the idols at the time of immersion and put these in dustbins/ bins at the immersion ghats so that the ecosystem of water bodies is not polluted? Have you noticed that local municipal authorities/ corporations or PRIs don't make adequate arrangements at the immersion ghats sometimes, though they collect conservancy & sanitation charges from organisers? Then how can the Puja organisers comply the conditions of license?

 

We have asked all local bodies, urban and rural through SDOs to see that these arrangements are done. SDOs will personally meet the Chairman/ Mayors, ensuring that large size bins are put in place at prominent locations with helping hand to facilitate the process. All organisers please see that your local body makes arrangements. Save water bodies.

We have also requested them to make proper illumination, road, water and medical arrangements at the immersion ghats. Any reports of violations may be brought to the notice of local SDO/ BDO.

Getting ready for most difficult task - Paddy Procurement in KMS 2012 in Burdwan

Paddy procurement for Kharif Milling Season 2012-13 to commence from 1st November 2012 as per the revised procurement programme as present KMS 2011-12 has been extended till 31st October 2012. Minimum Support Price for KMS 2012-13 has been fixed at Rs 1250 per quintal paddy for common rice and Rs 1280 per quintal paddy for fine rice. It was Rs 1080 and 1120 respectively in the last KMS.

Today, district level monitoring committee headed by District Magistrate held its first meeting at VC room DM Office. This was attended by MLAs, Rice Millers, CMR state agencies, FCI officials, Food & Civil Supplies Officials and Cooperative department officials.

 

Main decisions are as follows :-

1. Suggested List of PACS/ Paddy purchase centres for Procurement camps have been furnished by most of MLAs in terms of request of MIC food & civil supplies. This list has been circulated to DFCS and all blocks for tagging rice mills, finalise locations and CMR agencies. All CMR agencies, DCFS must complete tagging by 31st October 2012 and communicate to blocks, ARCS, all agencies and MLAs thereafter.
2. CMR agencies must finalise the plan to organise at least 10 camps at a time starting from second week of November 2012 onwards through PACS or direct purchase through purchase officers. Wherever suitable PACS are not forthcoming due to finance problems, the CMR agencies has to set up direct purchase camps. All agencies must furnish their plan of camps by first week of November 2012 so that BDOs can coordinate the procurement operations.
3. Block level meetings to be organised by all BDOs under the direct supervision of SDOs involving all Rice Mills, PACS tagged, officers of concerned departments, public representatives and others seeking their cooperation for smooth procurement operations. Blocks may fix a cap not below 30 bags of paddy per farmer at a time in the beginning months of procurement and do the tagging of area with paddy purchase centres/ rice mills in consultation with public representatives, mutually agreed by consensus. The objective is ensuring sale of  marketable surplus paddy by small farmers at MSP, mostly owning average three to four bighas of land and discourage rice mills purchasing from middlement/ agents and outsiders. This limit may vary in different blocks and will  be applicable for both levy and CMR.
4. FCI and DCFS has to vacate adequate storage space so as to ensure 30000 MT space by first fortnight of November 2012. At present there is space of approximately 5000 MT only.
5. DCFS to supply rice to Purulia and Paschim Medinipur to vacate 20000 MT space. Present storage capacity of one lakh MT has to be increased.
6. Daily space availability report from all Go downs under DCFS has to be collected through sms and weekly consolidated reports to be sent to NIC Burdwan for publication on district website to ensure transparency. This must be go down wise for all places in Burdwan district. Similar reports for FCI also has to be placed on district website. DCFS will personally monitor space allocation to rice mills in a transparent manner.
7. Rice mills has to furnish paddy purchase reports to DCFS on regular basis to assess whether the paddy is purchased at MSP and only from genuine farmers.
8. Special task forces to be formed at all blocks for  rice mill inspections from November 2012 onwards. All rice millers told to see that paddy from local farmers at MSP payment is done through bank account only in all cases without exceptions.
9. Arrangements for Zero balance accounts to farmers already put in place at all banks and it is expected that all those applied got it. Block level teams has to ensure that bank accounts to the needy farmers are opened immediately. All payments of MSP has to be through account payee cheque, paid instantly. No issues on cheque bounce/ post dated cheques to be tolerated and legal action will be taken against defaulters on complaint.
10. All CMR agencies told to clear dues of PACS/ Societies immediately as it is reported that some agencies has not cleared dues.

Last year Burdwan procured 3.34 lakhs MT rice (7.55 lakhs MT Paddy) out of which 1.25 Lakhs MT is CMR rice delivered to the go downs. We expect this to increase slightly as last date is 31st October 2012. This year, we may procure approximately 4 lakhs MT rice as production of paddy is expected to be good in this Kharif in Burdwan.

We seek cooperation of all for smooth paddy procurement from genuine farmers at MSP.

News item in Dainik Jagaran, regarding Monthly Development Monitoring Committee meeting on 13th Oct

http://in.jagran.yahoo.com/news/local/westbengal/4_13_9754821.html