In March, Jharkhand's BJP Chief Minister Raghubar Das wrote a letter to the Centre, asking for immediate release of over Rs 600 crore meant for NREGA wages.
Highlights
- MNREGA guarantees 100 days of employment to the rural poor
- Almost zero payment has been done across Jharkhand for work under NREGA
- Centre has promised to release funds, especially to drought-hit states
When Jharkhand declared a drought in December, farmers like 45-year-old Karma Oraon, who lives around 45 km from state capital Ranchi and supports a family of six, hoped the losses from crop failure could be offset. The Centre's rural jobs scheme or MNREGA guarantees 100 days of employment to the rural poor.
Four months on, there has been more work than before. But almost zero payment has been done across the state for work under NREGA.
The Jharkhand government says it has no money to pay wages since Centre isn't releasing funds. "There's a huge problem related to payments. When we go for payments, we are told to go home," said Mr Oraon.
In March, Jharkhand's BJP Chief Minister Raghubar Das wrote a letter to the Centre, asking for immediate release of over Rs 600 crore meant for NREGA wages. Money has been held up for months, the letter said.
It also means that on the ground, people like 40-year-old Premdaya Mani, a mother of 4, have been paid only for 4 days despite working for four weeks since December, when drought was declared. "If money doesn't come in, how will I manage to feed my children?" Premdaya said.
Vishnu Rajgadhia, a Member of Jharkhand's MNREGA State Council, said, "Our biggest worry is that if these funds do not come in and the drought situation worsens, there will be more and more migration out of the state."
On Wednesday, the Central government promised to release funds for MNREGA, especially to drought-hit states where the scheme is even more of a safety net for the farmers. The promise came after the Supreme Court expressed concern over the funds crunch for NREGA while hearing a petition on drought.