Union Government had agreed to sanction necessary financial assistance for construction of damaged houses caused due to natural disaster in the district Kinnaur under Indira Awas Yojna (IAY). This was disclosed by Rural Development Minister Shri Anil Sharma after he called on Union Rural Development Minister Shri Jairam Ramesh at New Delhi today. He said that Union Minister had also agreed that Union Government would also provide financial assistance to the State for the construction of roads in rural areas.
Anil Sharma apprised the Union Development Minister about the loss occurred in district Kinnaur due to heavy rainfall and said that total 819 houses had been completely damaged out of which 313 houses belonged to BPL families and other 506 houses belonged to the families who were not in position to construct them at their own expenses. Shri Anil Sharma urged the Union Government to provide additional central assistance for construction of 819 houses under IAY to the State as special package so that rehabilitation of affected population could be ensured at the earliest adding that due to enormity of destruction it would not be possible to construct new houses at alternate safe locations without central assistance from Government of India.Shri Sharma urged the Government of India to enhance the daily wages under the MGNAREGA to Rs. 150 per day from Rs. 138 per day as the State Government was paying Rs. 150 per day as daily wages to the workers working in the Public Works Department and other departments. He urged for enhancing the administrative cost to 8 percent from 6 percent under MGNAREGA as it was not sufficient for meeting the cost being incurred on a number of activities including the wages of Gram Rojgar Sahayaks and Technical Assistants being undertaken under the Scheme, besides, enhancing material cost to 50 percent from 40 percent. Union Minister assured Shri Anil Sharma that demands would be considered sympathetically and he has proposed to visit the State during month of August, 2013 to review the progress of various central schemes.