No wages since July, MGNREGS workers in Punjab in the lurch
₹114 CRORE PENDING SINCE JULY Rules entitle workers to payment of wages within a fortnight of completing work
BATHINDA: Hundreds of workers of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in Punjab have not received wages since July with officials calling it a procedural delay saying the state has “overachieved the target of man-days” given by the Union ministry of rural development for the first six months.
As many as 6.27 lakh workers from 5 lakh households are engaged this year in 22 districts of the state under the central rural job scheme, which guarantees 100 days of unskilled employment per family.
State rural development department officials said ₹114 crore to be released by the Centre has not been paid to workers since July.
A district official said the delay in wages was noticed after enrolled workers started lodging complaints and threatened to boycott rural works.
Sahib Ram, 62, of Chananwala village in Fazilka district, said he has not been paid wages for the last eight weeks. “In the absence of payment, I am unable to make both ends meet. District officials said they were unaware when the wages will be transferred into my account,” said Ram.
Baj Singh, district president of the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, Muktsar, said even as the scheme, which is aimed to provide an alternate source of income for rural people, has yielded results in some key areas, the issue of delay in payment remains an irritant.
Officials said as per rules workers are entitled to payment of wages within a fortnight of the date on which the work is done, failing which the worker is entitled to compensation. There is no clarity if the enrolled workers will get it, said another official.
MGNREGA (Punjab) joint development commissioner Tanu Kashyap said the target for the first six months of the current financial year was 84 lakh man-days which got over in July.
She said the state was able to provide more work but due to procedural reasons, funds allocation was delayed. “The Central authorities have assured to assess the financial situation and allot funds this week,” she added.
The Centre has assured to assess the financial situation and allot funds this week.
TANU KASHYAP, joint development commissioner, MGNREGA (Punjab)