Port Blair, Aug 24: The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act aims to enhance the livelihood security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage employment. The scheme is an enabler to mitigate social exclusion by providing marginalized communities to gain better access to their agricultural lands.
Rangat Islands is a remote Island of A&N Islands and has very fertile land. To generate productive assets for protecting the environment and socio-economic development of the beneficiary, MGNREGA has initiated a Horticulture Plantation on the land of Mr. NiranjanSikdar, resident of Sabari Village. The land was vacant since allotment and then in the year 2021. The plantation started with mixed plants of 102 Banana and 78 Coconut in an area of 0.23Hect, bearing Survey No. 378/3 with around 180 plants. Most of the MGNREGA labourers who were engaged in this work were females and they executed their work incredibly. The technical guidance was obtained from the Department of Agriculture and the implementing agency was Gram Panchayat Sabari.
The work was approved by the Gram Sabha for implementation through MGNREGA and implanted in Mr. NiranjanSikdar land. The initiative benefited in land development, construction of bench for plantation, helps in soil conservation, slows down the storm runoff and provides an alternative income source to the beneficiary in near future and provides alternative income source through MGNREGA. As part of the initiatives, the Directorate is working towards “Green Island” and beautifying the rural areas with plantations.
