For Timely Payment Of Wages, Odisha CM Urges PM To Add Default Provision In NREGASoft

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to add a default provision in NREGASoft to prevent any delay in payment of wages under the employment guarantee scheme.

Naveen said the default provision in NREGASoft will allow withdrawal, utilisation and recoupment of budgetary allocation towards the state’s ‘Revolving Fund’, created for the timely payment of wages to job card holders.

The Odisha CM praised the Centre for taking steps in raising the budgetary allocation for MGNREGS during COVID-19.

“My government has introduced a slew of measures to ensure proper implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and ensured almost 100 per cent timely payment of wages,” Naveen wrote.

“My government has made a budgetary allocation of Rs 1,000 crore towards the ‘Revolving Fund’ for 2022-23 financial year. The ‘Revolving Fund’ is to be recouped after receipt of fund in this regard from the Centre,” Naveen wrote.

“The Ministry of Rural Development has been requested earlier for addition of a default provision in NREGASoft for drawal, utilisation and recoupment of budgetary allocation towards the ‘Revolving Fund’ to prevent delay in payment of wages. However, the ministry is yet to take any action on the aforesaid proposals of the state government,” he said.

“I would, therefore, request you to kindly consider my government’s proposal for addition of a default provision in NREGASoft,” Naveen stated.