The Odisha Sramajeebee Mancha (OSM), a network of people’s organisations working in 11 backward districts on the issues of MGNREGS, Right to Food and other entitlement issues, on Monday demanded that construction and repair of human shelters be permitted under the MGNREGS so that the victims of cyclone Phailin and floods would get cash for work benefit and simultaneously construct and repair their houses with a facility of 30 days cash for work with 40 per cent material support.
As per the State Government’s assessment, about 60,000 houses were damaged and around 20,000 households are living in temporary shelters. Under the MGNREGS Act, construction of shelter for animals is permissible, but construction or repair of human shelters is not provisioned. “Hence, we demand relaxation of the national scheme, Mancha convenor Anjan Pradhan told mediapersons here. The Mancha also demanded transit transport (TT) permits for collecting house materials like bamboo and wood from forests.