Hyderabad: NREGS workers reluctant to participate in Palle Pragathi

Hyderabad: As the daily wage workers are not showing interest to take up the Palle Pragathi works under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), the sarpanches are facing problems in carrying out the Palle Pragathi programme in their respective Gram Panchayats. Though the government has directed the sarpanches to use the NREGS funds for the Palle Pragathi programme, the registered daily wage workers under NREGS are not coming forward to take up works.

The sarpanches have been told that for the Palle Pragathi works, the daily wage labourers could be paid from the NREGS funds by the Panchayat Raj officials. But due to the technical problems, wages for the Palle Pragathi programme could not be paid through the NREG scheme.

The Palle Pragathi programme which has been launched on January 2 all over the State is progressing at snail's pace with the non-availability of enough workers. The programme would end in another two days. As the sarpanches have been forced to pay the wages from their own pockets, they are reluctant to hire enough workers for the Palle Pragathi and employing less number of labourers.

According to sarpanches, the workers registered with the NREGS are not coming forward to take up works under the Palle Pragathi.

The workers are not interested as the wages for the works they have done in the first phase of the Palle Pragathi were not paid so far. The first phase of the programme was held in September last year.

The NREGS workers have been given work for three weeks during the first phase of Palle Pragathi. They have cleaned the streets, removed the weed, and planted saplings under the programme. They were promised to give wages through the NREGS.

However, even three months after the completion of the first phase, the wages have not been paid. Each worker of the NREGS have to be given about Rs 2,000 for the work they have done in the first phase.

As the workers are not interested to take up works under NREG scheme, the sarpanches have been paying the wages through their own resources. They may be reimbursed the money they have spent on Palle Pragathi programme. According to officials, technical problems have come in the way of paying the wages to the NREGS workers for the work they have done in the first phase. They said that the issue has been taken to the notice of the higher officials.