EGS Works Come to a Halt: Central government's new rider boomerangs!

Warangal: The new clause that aimed at providing more working days to the job card holders of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) appears to be boomeranged with the field assistants (FAs) abstaining from duties.

With the strike of the FAs coming at a time when the NREGS works would have been in full swing, the very concept of the scheme that aimed at enhancing the livelihood security of the people in rural areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage-employment in a financial year is in danger.

What that prompted the FAs to go on strike was the GO 4779 released by the Central government, recently. According to the GO, the FAs, who failed to provide work to the job card holders for 40 days in a financial year would be shown the door.

The new clause introduced by the NREGS administration is that those FAs who ensure a minimum of 30 days work to each job card holder would be placed in the first category.

Those FAs who provide work 20 to 29 days would be placed in the second category; and those who provide work of 10 to 19 days to job card holders would be placed in the third category.

The officials have also decided to pay honorarium of Rs 10,000 per month for those come under first category, Rs 9,000 a month for the second category and Rs 7,000 a month for the third category FAs.

There would be no pay for the FAs who fail to provide at least 10 days of work to each job card holder. This apart, they would be removed from the services.

The FAs say that with the government providing just Rs 211 a day, majority of the labourers are looking for an alternative job where they could get around Rs 400 a day.

Moreover, with the government was failing to release payments within a fortnight, the labourers are not showing interest in availing the employment guarantee scheme.

Speaking to The Hans India, the Field Assistants Joint Action Committee State Co-convener Mekala Ravi said: "Instead of recognising the FAs as permanent staff, the government is conspiring to remove us.

With the government taking months to release payments, the labourers who depend on daily labour are in search of other works. The variation in payment is also another reason.

How would the labourers avail NREGS when they get more pay elsewhere?" The FAs are being made scapegoats, which is totally uncalled-for, he added, demanding scrapping of the GO 4779.

On the other hand, the Telangana State Panchayat Raj and Rural Employment, Commissioner, M Raghunandan Rao, is keen to implement the EGS works.

The responsibility of carrying EGS works is likely to fall on Panchayat Secretaries if the FAs continue their strike, it is learnt.