It may sound a noble gesture from a distance but virtually reflects the pain and anguish of labourers working in the world's largest employment guarantee scheme - MGNREGA.
Over 200 labourers belonging to 18 villages of backward Manika block of latehar, one of the poorest districts in the State, have dispatched envelops filled with five rupee notes and a letter to none other than Prime Minster Narendra Modi to his official address in the national Capital. The aggrieved workers chose the 'May Day' popularly known as labour Day in order to make the step loud and clear.
"We feel that you need the extra five rupees more than we do, since your Government has so many expenses. To implement the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission, you will have to spend an additional Rs 1 lakh crore at least on salaries and pensions of Government employees. Defence expenditure is about Rs 2.5 lakh crore. You must also be spending a lot of money on tax concessions for big companies, aside from giving them cheap land and other resources," reads the mocking communiqué.
The gesture, first of this kind heard from any part of the countryside often filled with horrendous instances relating to the miscarriages taking place in the job guarantee scheme, is in protest of the meagre wage 'hike' given to the labourers.
"labourers of the area came to know that the Government has increased our wages by Rs 5 from Rs 162 to Rs 167 per day. We discussed this in the meeting of Gram Swaraj Mazdoor Sangh. All those present there were of the view that the hike is unjust considering the inflation and needs related to food, education, clothes and other of ours these days. Where an MlA is getting about Rs 1.75 lakh per month as salary those who construct road, rail and other assets for the society are being treated like thisIJ The hike of Rs 5 is like alms, thus we decided to return the increased amount to the Prime Minister," said Shyama of the local organisation of rural workers who is also Mukhiya of Namudag panchayat of Manika.
labourers of Janho, Sadhwadih, Kutmu, Kope, lanka, Jherua, Semri, Dumbi, Bariatu, Tudu, Palya and others of the area took part in the unique protest on May 1. The covering letter followed by name, signature and Job Card number of the labourers read that the "collective decision" that would "help you to keep your corporate friends and Government employees happy."
The organisation, wary about declining interest in MGNREGA works, cites such low wages in MGNREGA when even minimum wage in Jharkhand is Rs 212 per day apart from other glitches the job scheme has gathered over the years for the poor show. The wages in Jharkhand were raised by just Rs 4 last year from Rs 158 to 162. Nevertheless the rise in Jharkhand is among the highest in the country has seen this year.
"The response we got have encouraged us to spread the movement across the State. In the days to come we are organising programme on labourers in Palamu area and the gesture of sending the amount to the Government would continue in this fashion there as well. In fact, they have decided to it on daily basis to lodge their protest," said Ankita, an associate of noted economist Jean Dreze and activist with 'NREGA Watch'.