TKA Nair (right) in Ranchi on Friday. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, Dec. 16: Prime Minister’s adviser T.K.A. Nair today asked Jharkhand government to ensure MGNREGS workers are paid on time and served a reminder on meeting a March 2012 deadline set by Union home minister P. Chidambaram to build 75 police stations for containing left-wing extremism.

A senior state government official who participated in a meeting chaired by Nair at Project Building today told The Telegraph that the emissary stressed on timely payment of MGNREGS workers.

The adviser was greeted with complaints about delays in payment of wages when he visited villages in East and West Singhbhum.

“Nair urged the state government to focus on development of Saranda as planned by the Union rural development ministry. He also said that concerns raised by Chidambaram during his visit to Jharkhand last month should be addressed,” the official said.

Chidambaram had urged the government to set up the stations within this fiscal, while pointing out Jharkhand recorded the second highest number of civilian casualties due to left-wing extremism.

Nair, a 1963 batch IAS officer, also suggested that DCs should decide on rural roads to be built under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.

Nair also met chief minister Arjun Munda, who drew his attention towards delay in execution of national highway projects. Munda requested Nair’s intervention to improve the state’s roadways.

Among those who attended today’s meeting were chief secretary S.K. Choudhary, home secretary J.B. Tubid, DGP G.S. Rath and rural development secretary R.S. Poddar. Rath briefed Nair about the action taken by police in cleansing Saranda of Naxalites.

Four days ago, the state government had resolved to make sure a majority of the development projects in Saranda is initiated by January 15 ahead of a scheduled visit by Union minister Jairam Ramesh, the architect of the Centre’s action plan for the West Singhbhum forests.