Patna: The rural development department is working on a plan that entails introducing a special incentive scheme for those engaged in work related to toilet construction and implementation of schemes under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

The schemes are likely to be finalised within a month after which a formal announcement would follow.

"We are working on the details of the scheme and a team of senior officials has been set up in the department for the purpose. The details are being worked out," a senior rural development department official said.

The department had come up with a similar scheme for those engaged in implementation of the rural housing scheme.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar had announced it on July 27 which talked of giving incentives to rural housing assistants, rural housing supervisors, account assistants and executive assistants, who work at panchayat and block level if the dwelling units constructed within four months from the date of sanction. The scheme also spoke of giving incentives to the beneficiaries the achievement to ensure their proactive role as well.

The official said the new incentive scheme for toilet construction and MGNREGA schemes too would be on similar lines but details would be different given the diverse nature of work.

Citing reason for the proposed incentive schemes, the official said the state stood for early completion of works which would help Bihar in becoming an open defecation free (ODF) state. "Though the work of toilet construction has to be completed by October 2019, the state government wants to achieve the goal by March 2019," he said.

At present, out of the 1.65 crore households, toilets have been constructed in about 1.04 crore and the department is supposed to construct around six million toilets in a little over seven months.

Bihar has also set an ambitious target on job creation under schemes of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. The state is aiming to create 15 crore person days of employment under the scheme in 2018-19 against the last year (2017-18) achievement of creating 8.5 crore person days of employment.

Schemes under MGNREGA entail 100 days of guaranteed employment every year for rural people willing to work under it.