MGNREGS workers in Virudhunagar left high and dry by fund shortage

In Virudhunagar district, hundreds of workers under the MGNREGS have not been paid their wages for 9-10 weeks, leaving them in a lurch. Most of them are from below poverty line families, relying solely on the scheme for 100 days of work. The wages were last disbursed on August 3, and the delay has caused distress to the workers ahead of Deepavali. The Union Finance Minister has been urged to take immediate action to settle the pending wages.

With the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) facing fund shortage, hundreds of workers under the rural employment programme have been left in the lurch in Virudhunagar district as they have not been paid their wages for the past nine or 10 weeks.

The lives of the workers, most of them hailing from below poverty line families, were dependant solely on the flagship programme for 100 days of work. Struggling to make ends meet, the workers have now started taking fresh meals to their families.

“The wages for 11 weeks were pending; we received one-week’s wages about 10 days back,” said one of the field in-charge persons under scheme, claiming that the workforce strength dwindled from 200 persons to about 70 workers who are registered in her union.

The wages were last disbursed on August 3.

Only one member of the families are allowed to take up work under the scheme - be it clearing the bushes, strengthening the side of the roads, digging canals or deepening ooranis.

They used to earn ₹245 as daily wages (now revised to ₹250 per day), which would be credited to their bank accounts every Monday. However, for the past 10 weeks, the workers have not received their wages. “I was left with no other choice but to ferociously borrow money for the last three months,” said the field in-charge person, who gets paid ₹290 a day.

Already struggling to relay instalments of previous loans she was forced to take fresh loans to buy groceries. “I’ve not paid the grocery shop for several weeks the loan amount has been piling up,” she brooded, expressing distress over her husband’s drinking problems adding to her plight.