Pay 21 days’ wages in advance to MGNREGA workers: Sonia

‘I request you to take immediate action and extend support to nearly eight crore rural workers in the country,’ says Sonia in her letter to PM Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: In the wake of ongoing Covid-19 crisis, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release advance payment of 21 days’ wages to MGNREGA workers across the country to help them tide over the present crisis due to coronavirus lockdown.

In her letter to the PM, Gandhi said that a large number of rural poor are without work and around 8 crore MGNREGA workers are devoid of an alternative source of income due to the countrywide lockdown, thus, they should be paid money in advance to tide over the current crisis.

“Given the urgency of providing income support to the rural poor, due to lost wages, the government may consider immediate advance payment of wages for 21 days to registered and active MGNREGA workers,” the Congress president said in her letter to the PM.

The Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson said that the advance wages may be adjusted against the work to be done by the workers, once MGNREGA sites are opened up.

“I request you to take immediate action and extend support to nearly eight crore rural workers in the country,” Gandhi said.

The Congress president further said that since its inception, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has been a critical lifeline for the rural poor, particularly during periods of chronic economic distress.

The Congress chief further noted that lakhs of agricultural workers have been left unemployed during the crucial harvesting season.

Devoid of an alternative source of income, she said an

The Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson said that the advance wages may be adjusted against the work to be done by the workers, once MGNREGA sites are opened up increasingly large number of the rural poor are expected to demand work under MGNREGA.

However, social distancing norms have rendered all works unfeasible during the lockdown, she said, adding that even when the MGNREGA works commence the workers would be paid after a month thereafter to get their wages.