NEW DELHI: Lilavati Vishwas has travelled all the way from Bihar’s Saharsa to take part in a protest by MGNREGA workers in the national capital. “At a time of skyrocketing inflation, we are paid Rs 210 for a day’s labour. With this paltry sum, we have to pay for our food, clothes and kids’ education. Is it possible to manage all of this in this salary?” she asks.
Bankhar Singh, 52, from Kurukshetra in Haryana says the government is not even providing enough work under the rural job guarantee scheme. “MGNREGA promised 100 days’ employment in a year. If they cannot provide employment, then they have to pay one-fourth compensation. Today, the government is neither giving us employment nor compensation.”
Lilavati and Bankhar are among the 5,00-plus MGNREGA workers from across 15 states who have been sitting on dharna at Jantar Mantar since Tuesday. They raise slogans of “hum ladenge, hum jeetenge (we will fight, we will win)” as they sit-in to press for their demands. These workers have gathered in Delhi with nine major demands that include an increase in wages, timely payment and labour budget for West Bengal for 2022-23 to be approved, among others.
Another major concern for them is the introduction of a mobile app for attendance at work sites and other technological interventions. “We are unable to register our attendance, sometimes because our mobile phones are not recharged, at other times due to network issues. Our entire day’s work is lost as a result,” said Lilavati.
Economist-activist Jean Dreze, who also joined the protest, said, “These workers are demanding their payment on time. According to the law, the workers must be paid within 15 days, but that’s rarely happening.”The protest will continue on Thursday. Workers’ delegations also visited the MPs of their states to share their grievances and present their demands.