MGNREGA payment norms relaxed in Arunachal Pradesh

ITANAGAR: As an interim arrangement, the Union Rural Development Ministry has relaxed norms for Arunachal Pradesh in regard to payment of wages and non-wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Generation Act.

After the state government's request, the ministry relaxed the norms for payment of wages and non-wages under MGNREGA through bank and post office accounts to the wage earners where outreach bank and postal service is inadequate, state RD Commissioner Indra Mallo said in a release here today.

"The payment of wages and non-wages under MGNREGA to the job card holders can be made in cash by considering constituting a payment committee (PC) at each gram panchayat," he said.

The payment committee should comprise of gram panchayat president and chairman, gram panchayat member of concerned villages, two women self help group members wherever available, traditional tribal head gaon burahs, minimum three MGNREGA workers, including a woman member of the concerned gram panchayat.

Videography of the cash payment proceedings should also be made, Mallo said.

The district DC should constitute the payment committee, she said adding, arrangement for cash payment to the job card holders is an interim arrangement till proper banking and postal arrangement are established.