Dimapur, Sep 7 (EMN): Along with rest of the country, Nagaland will start implementing Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) under MGNREGA beginning from the current financial year 2017.
Under the scheme, wages of the MGNREGA workers will be directly credited to the individual accounts of Job card holders, who have actually done the works on the basis of Rs 177 per day as daily wage through National Electronic Fund Management System (NEFMS) – Public Financial Management System (PFMS).
Under this system, every job card holder must have a bank account duly linked with Aadhaar unlike the present practice, where wages of MGNREGA workers are paid by cash through the VDBs. It informed that no cash payment will be possible in the new system.
Under the new system, if any job card holder needs employment, he or she must demand for work from their respective BDOs, who have been designated as PO MGNREGA. Every job seeker will be given employment within 15 days. On being provided employment and measurement of work taken thereof, muster rolls will be filled and uploaded in the NREGA-Soft MIS.
It was also informed that the concerned PO will prepare bills, digitally signed them and generate Fund Transfer Order (FTO). Once FTO is generated, it will directly go to the programme division of the Ministry of Rural Development, (New Delhi), which will sanction and transfer wage amount straight to the workers account through PFMS.
In view of the above, all MGNREGA workers both under bank covered blocks and unbanked blocks in the State are directed to open their bank accounts immediately.
Stating this in a press release, secretary of Rural Development and Commissioner of MGNREGA, Kelei Zeliang, has directed all the BDOs and Junior Engineers/SOs to remain in their respective station and assist the job card holders.
Presently, 46,894 active MGNREGA workers have opened their bank accounts linked with Aadhar and are ready for DBT. A total of 1.79 lakh MGNREGA workers have been verified with Aadhar and being processed for opening bank account. Currently, there are 4.25 lakh active job cards with 5.82 lakh active MGNREGA workers in the state.
