National Advisory Council member Aruna Roy has written to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, criticising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for rejecting the NAC recommendation on payment of minimum wages to MGNREGA workers. She wondered how a Government failing to even provide minimum wages still lay claim to inclusive growth.
Terming the Prime Minister's decision unfortunate, Roy said Singh chose to appeal against the Karnataka High Court judgement ordering payment of minimum wages to MGNREGA workers.
"Even more distressing is the Government's refusal to pay minimum wages even after the Supreme Court refused to stay the Karnataka High Court judgement. It is difficult to understand how a country like India can deny payment of minimum wages and still makes claims of inclusive growth," said Roy, who is completing her term as NAC member on May 31.
She stressed on the need for enactment of the Food Security Bill soon and lauded the Working Group on Transparency & Accountability for taking up a number of accountability legislations, including the lokpal Bill, Grievance Redressal Bill and Whistleblower Protection Bill, among others.
Roy added that many of them have been through Parliamentary committees and now urgently need to be enacted. The campaign to have these legislations enacted and people monitoring mechanisms, such as social audits, must be strengthened, according to the NAC member.
Roy has asked Sonia Gandhi not to consider her for another term. The UPA chairperson, in reply, lauded Roy's efforts as NAC member for forcefully and freely expressing herself and guiding most of the recommendations and decisions of the NAC.
But she added
that she respected Roy's decision to move away from Council.