Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed the district collectors to immediately start works under the Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) in the drought-affected areas, and accord sanction to such works within three days. Fadnavis told the officials that the model code of conduct (MCC) was not applicable to drought-relief work as the Election Commission has given permission to it. “Therefore, no such works should be kept pending under the pretext of MCC,” he said.
The chief minister gave the instructions during a dialogue with collectors, sarpanchs (village heads) from different parts of the state through “audio bridge” technology on mobile phone from his official ‘Varsha’ residence here Friday. “Don’t keep pending the proposals for starting works under EGS. Start the works by according immediate sanction to them,” he told the collectors, while also asking them to submit the compliance report of these works. He asked the sarpanchs to conduct maximum water conservation works in their villages.