Release MGNREGA funds, aid drought-hit: Activists to FM

JAIPUR: A group of activists have written to finance minister Arun Jaitley and rural development minister Chaudhary Birender Singh seeking that they pay heed to the Supreme Court order regarding the proper implementation of MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme), which could go a long way in easing the plight of the drought-affected.
In the letter dated May 23, the activists referred to the SC order of May 13 and said the timely payment of minimum wages and compensation for delay in wages were necessitated by the court ruling.
“The fact that for the financial year 2015-16 there was a pending liability that exceeded Rs 12,000 crore has implications that are hard to imagine,” the letter said.
Quoting from the SC ruling, the letter said, “The government of India is directed to release to the state governments adequate funds under the scheme in a timely manner so that the ‘workforce’ is paid its wages well in time. It is regrettable that the pending wage bill for 2015-16 was cleared only during the pendency of this petition. The government of India must shape up in this regard.”
The activists urged the finance minister to release Rs 17,000 crore for MGNREGS, the remaining part of the first tranche of money for 2016-17, for the proper implementation of the scheme. They also demanded the Centre to issue notification for 150 days of work under MGNREGS in drought-affected states, as earlier assured by the government.
“The government must also offer compensation for wages delayed beyond 15 days under the scheme. A fresh notification should be issued to ensure all workers are paid at least the state’s minimum wages,” the letter said.
Among the signatories to the letter were activists and academics, including former civil servants Aruna Roy and Harsh Mander, JNU economist Jayati Ghosh and Delhi University professor Dipa Sinha.