Blow for staff: No MGNREGA work during lockdown period
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In a improvement that may hit the livelihood of rural staff for a fortnight within the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the State authorities has stopped work underneath the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA). While the every day earnings have come to a standstill since Monday, when the lockdown commenced, alternate options are being chalked out nonetheless.
The determination will hit about one lakh households throughout the State who would in any other case have obtained employment during this period. In truth, about 10,000 migrant staff who returned to their villages had additionally been issued job playing cards for employment.
It is learnt that the choice to cease work was taken on Sunday after a videoconference assembly between the zilla panchayat chief government officers and the Commissioner of MGNREGA within the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.
“Messages were sent to gram panchayats to stop work between May 11 and May 24 when the lockdown would be in place. Payments were directed to be made for the work already undertaken,” a supply stated.
MGNREGA is likely one of the essential sources of employment in rural areas, particularly in North Karnataka area which has seen heavy migration of individuals to city centres searching for employment avenues.
Principal Secretary of RDPR L.K. Atheeq stated, “The Union government, in its lockdown guidelines notification, has identified MGNREGA work as a restricted activity. So it is not permitted and we had to stop it,” he stated.
Government sources stated that alternate options have been being formulated within the RDPR Department, together with the availability of cooked meals to susceptible households via the duty drive arrange on the gram panchayat degree. “We are trying to get it approved early because we had a short window before the decision was made,” a supply stated.
Meanwhile, the Gram Seva Sangha has criticised the choice, saying that whereas all building actions have been allowed, MGNREGA work has been stopped. “At a time when thousands of migrant families are returning to their villages, this will have a serious impact in rural areas. If the work had to be stopped, financial help should have been given to the families first,” he stated.
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