Huge Liability of MGNREGA Workers
JK News Today
Jammu, December 29
All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference today organized a massive protest demonstration here at main chowk of Vijaypur town in district Samba against the Rural Development department for their failure in clearing the liabilities running in several crores of works done under MGNREGA.
The protestors alleged that though the union government has released funds to the state government for clearing the MGNREGA liabilities running in several crores but the rural development department deliberately not clearing them just to utilized the interest amount of the funds deposited in the accounts of the rural development department.
Shouting slogans against the J & K Rural Development department, Anil Sharma, president of the organization said ‘ Depriving poor MGNREGA labors and petty dealers (cost of material) of their due is criminal act, the concerned minister and senior officers sitting in the civil secretariat should pay attention to the miseries of these poor people, they are not asking for charity but demanding what is lawfully theirs’.
He also hinted to take the matter to the labour court or higher judicial forums if the rural development continues to deny the poor labor their dues.
Already the Jammu and Kashmir government is amongst the state that pays lowest to its MGNREGA workers and even in this meager amount of Rs. 173/day, the Babus seek a cut which is not only shameful but a crime against humanity. He said neighboring state of Haryana pays Rs 259/day labor to its MGNREGA workers , Punjab Rs. 218 but only the poor villagers of this Himalayan state are denied this minimum amount after Jharkhand, Sikkim and Nagaland.
It is pertinent to mention here that as per the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employee Gurantee Act, MGNREGA there is also provision of setting up of MGNRGA Court to be called as Ombudsman but due to insincerity of the state administration, the process of appointment of Ombudsman could not see the light of the day. These ombudsman are authorized to take up the issue of non-payment or any other arbitration required in the MGNREGA workers.
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