Agartala: Tripura has yet again achieved the first position in the country in implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

According to information made available by the Union rural development ministry on April 19, Tripura has topped in 2015-2016 by creating on an average 94.66 mandays of work for MGNREGA.

Tripura is followed by Mizoram, which has created 68.55 mandays of work while Sikkim has achieved the third position by creating 66.97 mandays of work.

Apart from this, the Union rural development ministry has increased MGNREGA wages by only Rs 5 from April though the state government had demanded raising of wages on a par with agricultural labourers wages.

“Before the Rs 5 increase, MGNREGA wages were only Rs 167 but now it will be Rs 172. We had demanded parity of MGNREGA wage with agricultural labourers wage of Rs 272 but this has not been accepted by the Union rural development ministry,” said B.K. Adhikary, senior official in the department of rural development, reported The Telegraph.

He said in the financial years 2012-2013 and 2013-2014, Tripura had created 87 mandays of work but this registered a rise to 88 mandays in 2014-2015.

“This year we have set a record and Tripura will yet again win the first prize in implementation of MGNREGA,” said Adhikary. He said based on MGNREGA states are supposed to create a maximum 100 days work a year but this was increased to 150 mandays a year to allottees of forestland. “In Tripura 1.3 lakh tribals have been allotted varying quantum of forestland under the Right to Forest Act and we have been able to give them 150 mandays of work in a year over the past four to five years. In 2015-2016, we could give 153 mandays of work on an average. No other state has been able to achieve this,” he said.

On parity in wages of MGNREGA and agricultural labourers wages, Adhikary said the matter was discussed in the last budget session of the state Assembly.

“A resolution was passed in the Assembly that an all-party delegation, including the leader of the Opposition, would go to Delhi to meet the Union rural development minister to press for bringing parity in wages of MGNREGA workers and agricultural labourers. But the matter will be delayed as there is no leader of the Opposition in the Assembly now,” said Adhikary.

He, however, said the flow of central funds for MGNREGA has slowed down as in the current financial year only Rs 62 crore has been sanctioned so far and of this only Rs 22 crore has devolved to the state government.

“The remaining Rs 40 crore is still with central as the amount will be disbursed by the Centre to accounts of MGNREGA workers directly. Overall the MGNREGA fund for Tripura this year is Rs 1,430 crore. More sanctions are expected likely as the financial year progresses,” he said.

A PTI report said AICC has nominated Gopal Roy as the next leader of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) in Tripura Assembly.