Karnataka urges Centre to increase employment days to 150 under MGNREGS as State faces severe drought

Karnataka Revenue Minister Gowda appeals to Centre to increase MGNREGS employment days from 100 to 150 due to severe drought. Central team to inspect drought situation and submit report.

Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on October 9 said the State government has appealed to the Centre to increase the employment days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) from 100 days to 150 days in view of severe drought prevailing in the State.

Addressing reporters, Mr. Gowda said the central team recently visited the State to inspect the drought situation.

The State government has demanded that the Union government should release approximately Rs 475 crore, which has not been paid to the labourers who were employed under the MGNREGS.

Also Read: Karnataka facing ‘green drought’ in several parts with nil or severely reduced yield, says Minister

Those who work as labourers are leading their lives in extreme poverty, the Minister said, and added that we will be putting them in further distress by not paying them.

Regarding increasing the employment days in the distress year, Mr. Gowda said there is a provision in the law that a labourer should get a job for 150 days instead of 100 days during drought. So, the State government sent a request letter to the Centre on September 23 that it should issue an order in this regard to extend the number of employment days from 100 to 150 in view of drought in the state.

"The Central team conducted the field inspection of the prevailing drought situation in the state. In the next one week, the team will submit its report to the officers concerned. We are expecting that their report will do justice to the people of the state," the Minister said.