Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requested him to release the first three months’ wages under the MNREGA at the earliest.
Baghel in the letter, said the first three months’ wages of the MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) for the financial year 2020-21, amounting to Rs 1,016 crore, should be released by the Centre at the earliest.
The MNREGA is an important component of the rural economy and of Rs 1016 crore for first quarter of the financial year 2020-21, and more than 89.20 lakh labourers of more than 39. 56 lakh families are registered under the scheme in Chhattisgarh, the CM said.
He further said that more than 66.05 lakh impoverished people of 32.82 lakh families actively get employment through the scheme.
At the beginning of March 2020, more than 12 lakh workers in the state were working under the scheme every day.
Due to the precautionary measures undertaken for last 10 days to prevent coronavirus infection, the number of workers has significantly decreased, the CM said in his letter.
The chief minister said the state government, while ensuring all necessary measures to prevent the coronavirus outbreak, has instructed the district programme coordinators to ensure livelihood and people-oriented work that does not require gathering of a large number of workers at one place.
This step has been taken to provide employment to the labourers to secure their means of livelihood.
The chief minister said the main reason why workers are not showing up at work is due to delayed payment of wages under the scheme.
He apprised the Prime Minister that at present, payment of wages worth Rs 484 crore is pending in Chhattisgarh under this scheme.
In these adverse circumstances, payment of pending wages is urgently required, Baghel told the PM.
Besides, in order to ensure time-bound wage payment in the coming months, the approved labor budget of Rs 1,016 crore for 534.73 lakh man-days wages, at the prescribed wage rate of Rs 190 every day, for the first quarter of the financial year 2020-21, has been requested to be released for the state at the earliest, the CM said in his letter.