Only 12 days of employment were given to MNREGA women workers in Rajasthan-MP-UP over the course of 5 years, resulting in starvation

Online system became a major issue

Employees at MNREGA are dissatisfied with the need to submit images through the app. There is no employment for them in the city’s industry, a lady said. MGNREGA is active in the hamlet, however payment is only made once the picture has been opened in the app. Arrears from the previous year have not yet been paid. In the village, the network does not operate correctly. The mechanism for uploading photos is always having issues. The app does not launch in this case, and they are not compensated.

In addition, several more women claim that after working all day in the heat, their earnings are withheld since they didn’t post any images to the app. I immediately feel terribly tricked.

Thousands of MGNREGA employees from 15 states, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Jharkhand, held a sit-in in Delhi between August 2 and August 4 in support of their demands.

These workers have come here to give the government their word by paying their rent. The majority of the employees were female.

A individual consumes at least 15 kg of grain in a month, but only receives 5

A MNREGA worker said, “I do not own land.” Possesses two boys and one daughter. The son and daughter-in-law live apart. I have worked for a total of 12 days over the last five years, yet I have yet to get anything. The husband’s name has also been removed from the ration card, thus the monthly allowance is likewise reduced by half. In such a circumstance, the government should advise us what we should eat and where we should go to make a living at this age.

She said that the government provides 5 kilogrammes of wheat-rice per month, but the average citizen consumes at least 15 kilogrammes of food grains each month. The government has requested that 15 kg of wheat-rice be provided every unit.

Inflation is rising and there is no other means of earning

Another worker said, “There is neither a home nor a piece of land.” Leave a hundred days in a year, and even 50 days are ineffective. I labour in other people’s fields, and then the stove burns twice in the home. During the rainy season, if there is a flood, I must consume twice as much. I have also often protested to the highest authorities, but no one listens. Age is growing and inflation is rising. There is no other source of income. In such a circumstance, I fear that if I lose my issue, I would die from lack of therapy and food.

MNREGA wages vary from state to state

Different wages are set in each state by the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA). Under MGNREGA, there is less money than the state government minimum wage rate. For instance, in Kerala, the minimum wage is Rs 490, but MGNREGA workers only get Rs 311. While the minimum wage in Uttar Pradesh is Rs 367, only Rs 213 is paid out through MNREGA. Let us tell you that MNREGA had a budget of 61 million rupees, which was raised to 111 million rupees during the Corona period. At the same time, the budget for 2022-23 is expected to be Rs 73,000 crore.

Demands of MNREGA workers

An NREGA Sangharsh Morcha member said,” we request to the government that the working days be increased to 200. With inflation in mind, the daily wage should be raised to Rs 800 from Rs 700. The payment of MGNREGA employees has been stalled for many months, causing a slew of issues. It is essential that the necessary arrangements be completed in order to receive payment for the service performed within 15 days. The size of the Social Audit Unit should be expanded to eliminate corruption.