Blow for workers: No MGNREGA work during lockdown period
The Hindu
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.The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.