leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Sunil Jakhar on Sunday slammed the State Government for not providing even a day’s employment to the workers under MNREGA in 6,104 village panchayats of the State. Jakhar also dared the SAD-BJP-led State Government, which claimed that the State has good financial condition, to immediately release pending amount of Rs60.03 crore for which the workers have been protesting from the past so many months. “Due to mismanagement of the ruling SAD-BJP Government, the workers under 6,104 village panchayats could not get even one day employment out of total 13,054 village panchayats of Punjab,” said Jakhar.
Also raising question mark over Rs189.48 crore grant released by the Central Government for MNREGA, Jakhar said that even after receiving grants from the Centre, the State Government could not give a single penny to these workers and amount of Rs60.03 crore were still running as pending dues on the State finances.
He also reminded the State Government that it was mandatory to provide at least 100 days work to MNREGA workers as per the Act and the State Government has failed to provide even one day employment to the workers in 6,103 village panchayat, whereas the State Government could only provide six days work on an average to the rest of the workers of village panchayats.Also Congress legislative Party (ClP) leader, Jakhar said that there were around 10,85,866 job cards registered in the State, “but all these workers have been protesting and organising protest rallies even to get their hard earned wages”.
“The State Government should be ashamed for this mismanagement due to which poor labourers of villages has not been earning their basic livelihood,” said Jakhar while releasing the list of districts-wise pending amounts of MNREGA funds. Maximum Rs8.84 crore were pending in Moga district followed by Rs6.61 crore in ludhiana, Rs6.59 crore in Faridkot, and Rs6.06 crore in Muktsar, besides other.