The employees engaged under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) continued their pen down strike on 29th day in the State. Around 5000 MGNREGA workers are on strike demanding regularization of the services and better pay package.

State Rural development minister AlamgirAlam who is presently home quarantine after some of his cabinet colleagues tested corona positive, on several occasions had urged the workers to return to work citing pandemic, but, the minister’s appeal has not helped in breaking the deadlock.

Jharkhand Rajya MGNREGA KaramcharaiSangh president AnirudhPandey has expressed his concern with the state government not taking concrete steps regarding their demands.

Pandey said, “Our main demand includes regularization of service, grade pay, lessening the workload of MGNREGA workers, social security among others.” He further said, “We had a meeting with rural development minister AlamgirAlam on August 20, but the meeting was postponed at last hour as the minister went on home quarantine.”

Sources said that due to MGNREGA employees’ strike the rural development works have been affected. With thousands of migrant workers returning to the State amid the coronavirus outbreak, the Jharkhand Government in May this year launched three schemes to generate 25 crore man-days for MGNREGA to enable the workers earn wages as well as bring in a long-term plan to provide steady income to the poor households.

BirsaHarit Gram Yojana (plantation scheme), Nilamber-PitamberJalSamridhiYojana (water scheme) and Veer ShahidPotoHoKhelVikasYojana (sports scheme) were launched by State Government with an aim to develop rural Jharkhand. The MGNREGA KaramcharaiSangh claims that most of the work under these schemes has been affected as workers are not getting work due to employees strike.

However, the rural development department claims that though rural work has been affected due to the strike of MGNREGA employees, many of the employees on appeal to the minister have returned to work. SiddharthTripathi, IFS, posted as Commissioner (MGNREGA) said, “Around fifty to sixty per cent employees have returned to their jobs. Those who have not returned have appealed to them to return to their jobs in the larger interest of the state.”

Tripathi also said that apart from these the state has adopted a new strategy of giving jobs to MGNREGA workers. He said, “Workers are allotted jobs through social audit units. Allotting works through social audit units helps in getting rid of bogus workers also it will help in real execution of work.