Wayanad tops State in Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

Kalpetta:Wayanad has topped the State in the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (MGNREGP) for the 2024–25 financial year.

The district generated 43.76 lakh job days during the year at a total expenditure of ₹206.37 crore. Of this, ₹147.75 crore was disbursed as wages and ₹51.57 crore was spent on materials, directly benefiting 61,051 families. As many as 26,358 families completed the full 100 days of employment guaranteed under the scheme.

The tribal population also witnessed significant impact as 21.23 lakh job days were generated for 22,442 Scheduled Tribe families. Of this 11,452 families completed 100 days of work.

By expending ₹51.47 crores in terms of material, the district saw the completion of 606 roads, 22 culverts, 31 drains, 8 school compound walls and 3 anganwadi buildings. In addition, 19 Kudumbashree self-help groups received new work sheds. A total of 182 irrigation ponds were also created to support the agriculture sector.

Sanitation sector too received a boost with the construction of 1,633 soak pits, 272 compost pits, and 78 mini material collection facilities (MCFs).

Wayanad’s top performance was attributed to several key factors including job-on-demand for families, timely wage payments, 

completion of work and geo-tagging of works, use of the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS), increased investment in materials and infrastructure, asset creation for individual households, progress in Subiksha Keralam and Suchithwa Keralam projects and Infrastructure support for Kudumbashree groups

The scheme has also bolstered the agriculture sector through activities focused on soil and water conservation. Over 12,000 economically backward families benefitted through the creation of personal assets such as cow and goat sheds, poultry coops, and fodder grass cultivation units.It is by combining effective governance with community-focused interventions that Wayanad has emerged as a model in leveraging the Employment Guarantee Programme for comprehensive rural upliftment.