200-cr dues of MNREGA yet to be cleared

​Hyderabad: Seven lakh rural labourers, who worked under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme, have been eagerly waiting for their pending remuneration to the tune of Rs 200 crore.

The government’s slackness in releasing the funds for clearance of their dues is being questioned by many such suffering workers.

According to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, bills should be settled to the labourers within 15 days from the date of completion of the work.

But, the saddest part is that the due amount of Rs 200 crore has been pending for the last six months.
During the last three years, because of drought in Telangana state, the number of families depending upon MNREG scheme has increased remarkably.

As a result of that, the government, this year has created work for as many as 23,54,185 families. The works included the government’s prestigious project Haritha Haaram.

By utilising the services of the labourers under the scheme, the government could complete 5.71 lakh works worth Rs 3,410 crore. However, though the Act says that a minimum of 100 days’ work be created for labourers, but the state government could create work for 35 days only on an average.

When a sum of Rs 1,000 crore was the total cost of the works completed, the government is due to clear Rs 200 crore. Though this amount had been pending for the last six months, the government is adamant in clearing the dues.

With the pending remunerations, the families of rural labourers have been facing inexplicable difficulties as all of them are bread-earners on a day-to-day basis. Consequently, many families are constrained to migrate to the nearest towns or to Hyderabad where they could get remunerations for their work, instantaneously.

Hanumandlu of Tatikonda village in Butpur mandal in Mahbubnagar district used to work under the scheme. As he was not getting his remuneration from the government, he migrated to Hyderabad as construction worker. He felt that the scheme that aimed at preventing migrations had forced them to migrate.

Butchanna of Kanchara village in Hanwada mandal left the family in the village and migrated to the district headquarters Mahbubnagar earning something for day-to-day maintenance.

A Ramulu, who organises labourers under the scheme, said that Rs 25 crore was due to be paid to the workers of Mahbubnagar district alone. Though we have been showing our concern for the last six months, the government is not responding at all.

Prasad, leader of employment guarantee scheme workers, said that Rs 50 crore was due to be paid in Khammam district. Mustikuntla, a small village in Bonakal mandal has 40 families waiting to get money to the tune of Rs 1.5 lakh.

As many as seven lakh families are eagerly waiting for the government to respond positively, all of them, in one voice, say that they do not get money for the work they did, not having any work on hand and even unable to borrow from others.

A Rural Development department official on the condition of anonymity said that they are helpless as the government was not releasing funds. “We would clear the dues, the moment we get the funds from the government,” he said.

Another official said that the payment would further be delayed as the entire government machinery is busy in the task of districts reorganisation. He added that it may not materialise in near future, as the new districts are slated to come into existence from October 11 (Dasara).

Keeping in view the grievous situation of the families who worked under the scheme and to check the increasing migrations, all of them earnestly beseech the government to release Rs 200 crore, expeditiously.