Tripura tops in average employment under rural jobs scheme

Agartala, March 29 (IANS) Tripura continues to be the leading state in the country in terms of average employment under the rural jobs scheme, with the state providing 72.39 person-days of work in the current fiscal, state's Rural Development Minister Jitendra Chaudhury said Thursday.

Chaudhury told reporters that Tripura has been providing the highest average employment for the past three years under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

"Tripura retained the top position since 2009-10 fiscal in terms of person-days generation of 72.39 so far in the current fiscal (2011-2012), followed by Andhra Pradesh (48.70 person-days) and Sikkim (47.43)," Chaudhury said.

MGNREGA guarantees 100 days of employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

Chaudhury said other top 10 states in terms of person-days include Himachal Pradesh (45.45), Mizoram (43.27), Tamil Nadu (41.74), Rajasthan (40.17), Maharashtra (39.32), Chhattisgarh (38.56) and Meghalaya (38.41).

Citing the performance report of the union rural development ministry, he said Kerala secured the top position in participation of women in MGNREGA with percentage of 92.94 followed by Goa (75.93 percent) and Tamil Nadu (74.83 percent).

The minister said Tripura has also seen a rise in its allocation for MGNREGA for the next fiscal.

"Tripura is the only state in India whose allocation for the 2012-13 was increased by the centre. Rs.1,146 crore has allocated for the coming fiscal and it is Rs.104 crore higher than the current fiscal," the minister added.

Tripura government is providing wages to MGNREGA workers at their door steps through business correspondents engaged by various nationalised and regional rural banks, he said.