"Due to govt policies, MGNREGA workers not getting wages": Congress' Jairam Ramesh
Feb 14, 2024
New Delhi [India], February 14 : Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday attended the public hearing of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) workers in Jharkhand and alleged that the workers are unable to get opportunities due to government policies and moreover they are facing the problem of not getting wages.
In a post on X, Jairam pointed out the problems that the workers are facing in Jharkhand.
"The Modi government has implemented the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) and the Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS). Because of this, the right to work and timely payment of guaranteed wages for MNREGA workers are being violated. Due to government policies, workers are either getting fewer work opportunities or they are facing the problem of not getting wages," he said.
"Work demand is not registered if workers' accounts are not eligible for ABPS, MNREGA work cannot be carried out in villages where MIS officers do not have smartphones supporting the NMMS app, and workers are not enrolling for MNREGA because they are discouraged due to not being paid for their earlier work," he added.
Further, Jairam Ramesh said that workers' salaries are not being paid within the legally mandated 15-day period, and there is also no compensation for the delay.
"Salaries are not paid at all to workers whose accounts are not eligible for ABPS, and the attendance of workers is not recorded on the NMMS app due to poor internet connectivity, server issues, or other technical issues," Jairam said.
The Congress leader asserted that the Five Justice Agenda of the grand old party, of which labour justice is a core pillar, will ensure that every worker gets his or her due.
Earlier today, the Congress party, which is part of the INDIA opposition bloc, called out the Election Commission on the issue of the greater use of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit trials in the election process and said not allowing for 100 per cent VVPATs is a 'terrible injustice' to the Indian voters.
