Recently Secretary Rural Development Department and Panchayati Raj (RDD &PR), conducted a comprehensive review of the draft Annual Action Plan (AAP) and Labour Budget (LB) for MGNREGA for the fiscal 2025-26, focusing on 10 districts of Kashmir division.

During the meeting, he emphasized the importance of realistic and achievable plans. He urged upon the officials to adopt a “people-centric” approach to planning, emphasising that communities should be actively involved in planning and execution of projects.

The meeting also addressed several areas including geo-tagging, use of the National MGNREGA Management System (NMMS), timely wage payments, implementation of the Area Officer app, compensation status, identification of Amrit Sarovar sites for Phase II and ensuring that PMAY beneficiaries receive the mandated 95 days of work until their houses are completed.

The Secretary laid emphasis on Category B works and stressed that every PMAY-G beneficiary must be guaranteed 95 days of labor support under MGNREGA. He also instructed the district authorities to complete the PMAY-G survey by March 31st, ensuring that all eligible beneficiaries are included.

He emphasised the need to utilise MGNREGA funds for repairing and maintaining Panchayat Ghars, ensuring they function effectively as community hubs. He mentioned about establishment of Community Sanitary Complexes (CSCs) along highways to improve sanitation services for rural communities, ensuring better hygiene and accessibility.