Mangaluru: The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), which has been renamed as Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act (VB–G RAM G) scheme, has not yet received approval for new projects to be taken up in Dakshina Kannada. Therefore, the projects approved last year under the MGNREGA have been allowed to continue for the next six months, said district minister Dinesh Gundu Rao.The minister announced this at a tri-monthly KDP meeting held at zilla panchayat on Saturday. Deputy commissioner Darshan HV said the new annual action plan under this scheme has been prepared since Oct 2, 2025. The district’s action plan is also ready. However, the renamed scheme is yet to be notified and work orders for new projects are pending. Until then, projects approved last year will continue for the next six months. The district achieved 90% success under this scheme in 2025-26, he said.The minister directed the district administration to ensure that there is no shortage of drinking water in the summer.The DC said he has details of areas under Mangaluru City Corporation, municipalities, town panchayats and gram panchayats that have been facing a drinking water shortage crisis for the past three years. “I have instructed officials to call tenders in advance to ensure water supply to such areas. We have identified all private borewells located within a 500-metre radius of public borewells dug by the govt. Currently, their use has not yet become necessary,” the DC said.Private borewells within 500-metre radius of govt borewells have also been identified, though their use has not yet become necessary. The DC said the Thumbe dam and the AMR dam have sufficient water, which is sufficient to meet the demand of the city until mid-June, adding rationing of water supply may be considered only by the end of May if required.
