Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh will arrive in Ranchi tomorrow on a three-day visit of the state to review execution of development schemes, including a blighted MGNREGS, in Jharkhand’s 14 left-wing extremism (LWE) affected districts. In his first tour of Jharkhand after taking over the rural development ministry with additional charge of drinking water and sanitation in July, Ramesh will take a close look at implementation of critical integrated action plan (IAP) schemes in the 14 districts. Besides, he will study the progress of various Centre-sponsored schemes, including Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Indira Awas Yojana, total sanitation campaign, National Rural Drinking Water Programme as well as watershed schemes, among others. “The minister will be arriving in Ranchi tomorrow evening. On Saturday, he will visit Gumla to inspect projects under MGNREGS, PMGSY, et al. We are preparing for his visit,” state MGNREGS commissioner Ajoy Kumar Singh told The Telegraph. Sources said Ramesh would also hold a meeting with the top political leaders of the state, including chief minister Arjun Munda and the official brass at a city hotel on Saturday. The next day, he will meet deputy commissioners and officials of the LWE-affected districts. The central government is slated to conduct a daylong workshop in Delhi on September 13, in which 60 deputy commissioners of as LWE-affected districts from across India are expected to take part. The workshop titled Alternative Strategy on Implementation of Rural Development Schemes will draw feedback from the district representatives on the stumbling blocks to the execution of rural development schemes, besides exploring strategies to execute them smoothly. Notably, the 14 LWE-affected districts of Jharkhand were allotted a sum of Rs 25 crore each from the Union panchayati raj ministry in 2010-11 to execute various IAP schemes focused on infrastructure creation in the hinterland, besides employing local residents. In 2011-12, each district will get Rs 30 crore. However, the state has drawn flak over the tardy pace of implementation of the Centre-sponsored schemes. Recently, a report of the comptroller and auditor general of India found that against a target of building 1,957 rural roads for providing connectivity to 5,247 settlements between 2005 and 2010, only 164 stretches were completed that could provide “all-weather” connectivity to 496 habitations. Utilisation of funds under MGNREGS in Jharkhand has also come under sharp criticism, especially following the deaths of activist Niyamat Ansari and worker Subal Mahto in Latehar and Bokaro in February-March this year. The deaths prompted Union rural development secretary B.K. Sinha to visit the state, who reported large-scale irregularities on the part of officials concerned. The Centre had also ordered a CBI inquiry into the deaths.