Village heads in Varanasi have threatened to boycott work under the MGNREGA scheme due to non-payment. The District Magistrate (DM) of Varanasi has written to the Additional Chief Secretary (Rural Development and Panchayati Raj) with a request to clear the dues soon.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was launched in 2005 to provide at least 100 days of wage employment to at least one member of every household. In the financial year 2021-22, a non-payment of Rs 13.91 crore in heads of materials and labourers wages was reported in the district.
The Rashtriya Panchayati Raj Gram Pradhan Sangathan (RPRGPS), a body of village heads- has retaliated against the delay. DM Kaushal Raj Sharma urged the state government to resolve the matter as soon as possible to avoid problems in the works being carried out under the scheme.
A delegation of village heads led by the district chief of RPRGPS Rakesh Kumar Singh had a meeting with the Chief Development Officer and submitted their charter of demands. They expressed concern over the increasing resentment among labourers. It was also reported that suppliers are staging a sit-in at their homes.
In a Supreme Court hearing last week, adv Prashant Bhushan said the pandemic has driven the rural folk to the point of desperation and they are in grave crisis due to non-payment of their wages under MGNREGA. He added that State governments were facing a shortage of ₹9,682 crores as of November 26, 2021 and 100% of the funds allocated under the scheme for the year had already been exhausted.
Several states are facing similar challenges. The Supreme Court had earlier ordered to immediately ensure payment of wages under the MGNREGA within 15 days.