Sarpanch and panchayat secretaries in Madhya Pradesh are on strike from Dec 28 demanding a salary hike.
50-year-old Lakshmi Bai who worked at the Panchayat Bhawan construction site in Chirodia village, 7 kilometres from Madhya Pradesh's Vidisha, has been jobless for the last 15 days due to strike by the sarpanch and panchayat secretaries in the state. Her son and husband, who are daily wagers, are struggling to find work in cities, due to the notes ban.
Most panchayat-level work under the rural job guarantee scheme MNREGA in Madhya Pradesh has come to halt after the sarpanch and panchayat secretaries went on an indefinite strike from December 28 demanding a hike in salary.
Now, with no income from MNREGA, looking after a family of nine has become a challenge for Lakshmi Bai.
"There is no work because of strike. I am facing problems as I have no source of income. How will I support my family? Because of demonetisation my husband and son are finding it difficult to get work. In such a situation MNREGA work was a great support," she said.
The panchayat and sarpanch secretaries, who earn nearly Rs 15,000 per month, want implementation of the 6th Pay Commission's recommendations, which would raise their salaries to Rs 20,000, as promised by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan a few years ago.
Manoj Dongre, Panchayat Secretary of village Parasi Gujjar, said, "The Gram Rojgaar Sahayak has been asked to ensure MNREGA work. They have been given power by the state government but if you go on the MNREGA work sites, at most places the work has stalled."
Vidisha district panchayat officials have admitted that demonetisation has led to a spurt in job demand. In December, they saw a 30 per cent rise in MNREGA man days. But they claim the strike has had no impact.
"There is always a rise in demand for MNREGA jobs in December-January as Rabi sowing is over and during this time of the year farmers are out of funds. But this time due to demonetisation, villagers are not able to find work in cities and hence there was a significant rise in demand. The panchayat and sarpanch secretaries are on strike so we have made special provision and given authority to Gram Rozgaar Sewaks to make sure MNREGA work continues uninterrupted on the ground," Ashok Jain, CO Janpad Panchayat Vidisha, said.