Blow for workers: No MGNREGA work during lockdown period

In a development that will hit the livelihood of rural workers for a fortnight in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the State government has stopped work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Empl

In a development that will hit the livelihood of rural workers for a fortnight in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the State government has stopped work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA). While the daily earnings have come to a standstill since Monday, when the lockdown commenced, alternatives are being chalked out still. The decision will hit about one lakh households across the State who would otherwise have received employment during this period. In fact, about 10,000 migrant workers who returned to their villages had also been issued job cards for employment. It is learnt that the decision to stop work was taken on Sunday after a videoconference meeting between the zilla panchayat chief executive officers and the Commissioner of MGNREGA in the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.