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Barbs on poor NREGS pay

in Gehlots state
A. M. Jigeesh in New Delhi

TWENTY daily wagers of Rajasthans Tonk district have decided to donate ` 1 — the wage they earn per day under the
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme ( MGNREGS) — to the chief ministers relief fund.

In a letter to CM Ashok Gehlot, they said the government can use the amount to help the poor. These daily wagers
have said they will not work under the scheme unless they are paid at least ` 100 per day. “ We will not work for ` 7, 9,
11, 13, 14 or 19 per day. We demand at least ` 100 a day for our work,” they said.

The letter was released by a group of activists, including National Advisory Council members Aruna Roy and Jean
Dreze, along with a social audit report on the flagship programme of the UPA government.

They said there is a crisis in implementing the MGNREGS and asked the Centre to take emergency steps to set the
scheme right. The report highlighted violation of the Minimum Wages Act. They challenged the Centres decision to “
freeze” the MGNREGS wages at ` 100 a day. “ The governments wage policy violates the fundamental rights of
workers as well as Supreme Court rulings by contravening the Minimum Wages Act,” the report said.

Roy and Dreze said the value of wages is steadily declining every month as prices increase without any corresponding
increase in the income of a worker. “ What is happening at the ground is a violation of the promise made by the UPA
government,” they said.

“ Instead of universalising the mechanisms for compensation for delays in payment of wages, the Centre avoided the
issue by saying state governments are the authorities to deal with the issue,” the activists said.

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