IMPHAL, February 26: The All Tribal Chief`™s Forum, (ATCF) Manipur today has threatened to launched intensive form of agitation if the Government fails to change the nodal agency implementing the MGNREGS schemes in the hill district, at the earliest.
A meeting of the ATCF was convened in this regards at Sangaiprou community Hall, Imphal today attended by representatives of the forum from entire hill districts.
The meeting was attended by Tongpu Kipgen, President of the ATCF, Manipur, Ningtinglung Kamei, vice president ATCFas resource persons while N.D Kadenbou, village chairman of Namtiram, as moderator.
After a deliberate discussion, the meet unanimously resolved to mount pressure on the Government to change the nodal agency of MGNREGS who is currently in charge of implementing the scheme while expressing its disappointment on the latter.
The meet observed that the implementation of MGNREGS especially for hills is suffering a major setback since the state Government has taken charge of the implementation of the scheme.
The DRDA initially was the nodal agency of MGNREGS in hill district however it was taken over by the state Government from 2011.
Since the takeover, the job card holders are deprived of enjoying the scheme to the fullest, said a representative from Tamenglong long.
He further revealed that the number of days of work has been cut short for reasons best known to the authority.
It has been informed that in the context of Tamenglong a number of 103 days of works are still pending since 2011 to 2013 and only 18 days work have been provided for the year 2014.
This was not the case when the nodal agency was the DRDA said the ATCF adding that it has taken its toll on the economically backward sections who are counting of the scheme as one of the major source of income.
The meeting demanded that the Government to change the nodal agency at the earliest taking into consideration of the people failing which it warned to launched extreme form of agitation in the entire hill district.
Further the meeting also deliberated on the Amendment of Village Authotiry Act, 1956.