Centre: Unable to curb delay in wage payments

During a recent internal meeting, the NDA government admitted that despite promising to address the key problem of inordinate delays in wage payments under the flagship rural job guarantee programme and taking initiatives in that direction, it has failed to do so even a year after coming to power.

According to the minutes of the meeting of the Performance Review Committee held earlier this month, the Rural Development Ministry, which oversees the implementation of the Mahtama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), has admitted that “despite the number of measures taken for timely wage payment” there has been “delay in wage payment”, owing to a number of factors.

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The Act stipulates that wages be paid within 15 days of the work being completed. According to ministry data, over 50 per cent of the wages so far this year have not been paid on time.

In the meeting, the ministry identified nine key reasons for such delays, including delayed transfer of funds from the state treasury to the State Employment Guarantee Fund, poor infrastructure in the Northeastern states, staff shortage, poor internet connectivity, poor network of banks and post offices and lack of Business Correspondents.