JAMMU: To ensure greater transparency and accountability in the execution of MGNREGA works, the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Jammu & Kashmir, organized a one-day Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop on Geo-MGNREGA and Geofencing.

Separate sessions were conducted in Kashmir and Jammu divisions, targeting Master Trainers and members of the District Resource Teams, including District GIS Coordinators, Technical Assistants and other field-level officials.

The workshop focused on the updated Geo-MGNREGA Mobile App (v3.5), which now features advanced tools such as point, line, and polygon mapping, real-time GIS tracking, and photo capture from system-defined locations. These enhancements aim to ensure greater transparency and accountability in the execution of MGNREGA works.

The training covered geotagging of assets using the upgraded mobile app, which now allows data capture across all stages of asset development - before, during, and after. Participants were trained to walk across the linear or area-based features to create accurate geospatial data and buffer zones for photographic evidence.

Three resource persons from each district participated in the workshop.

During the sessions, they explained the step-by-step use of the mobile app-from device registration and asset synchronization to map-based navigation, GPS tracking, and photo uploads.

The sessions also included hands-on practice for participants on geofencing, which enables the identification and restriction of similar work types within the same financial year and area. Trainers emphasized the importance of meeting the 80% overlap threshold in "during" and "after" stages for validation of geotagged work.

Additional Secretary RD&PR, Waseem Raja, presided over the sessions and emphasized the critical role that technology-driven governance plays in ensuring accountability and real-time monitoring of rural development works.

He said that the integration of Geo-MGNREGA and Geofencing is a transformative move towards evidence-based implementation of MGNREGA. "It not only minimizes the chances of duplication and ghost works but also enhances transparency and citizen trust in public works," he said.

He urged all district and block-level officers to ensure that this knowledge is cascaded effectively to Panchayat Secretaries, GRSs, and Technical Assistants, ensuring 100% adoption of the new system.