11 Sep :Post Offices in the country have disbursed about 2900 crore rupees as wages to the beneficiaries of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). The total number of accounts opened for NREGS payments as on end July is 1.47 crores.
The number of Post Offices disbursing the wages across 21 states is over 70 thousand (including Head Post Offices, Sub Post Offices and Branch Post Offices). Andhra Pradesh has the maximum number of over 94 lakh accounts.
An important concern of the NREG Scheme is that every worker is paid his/her wages for the work done expeditiously and correctly. With a view to address this concern, the Government had decided that payment of wages to the workers will be done only through Banks or Post Offices. Department of Posts in collaboration with NIC and BSNL is working towards establishing an electronic Payment System for giving away these wages. A pilot implementation of this system is being planned by the Government in selected districts of Orissa which is expected to be operational by December, 2008.
Starting with the Andhra Pradesh Postal Circle in 2005, payment of wages under NREG Scheme has now been extended to 19 Postal Circles in 21 States. State wise details of accounts and disbursements are in the annexure.