VISAKHAPATNAM: Tribals of T Arjapuram staged a protest on Friday, demanding the authorities pay them daily wages for working six days a week instead of only four. Villagers in five tribal villages under T Arjapuram and Kotnabilli Panchayats are currently being paid for four only days a week although they work for six.
Around 680 tribals of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) across 41 villages in 12 Panchayats under Ravikamatham mandal in Anakapalle district hold MGNREGA job cards. Among them, 180 people were given ROFR (Recognition of Forest Rights) certificates in 2011, and 500 more received them in 2022. Despite the law stating that every ROFR certificate holder should be given 150 days of work annually, this provision is not being enforced in non-scheduled areas. Currently, workers are not even provided with a minimum of six days of work, and when they do work for six days, they are only paid for four.
Villagers claimed that local authorities have been informed about these discrepancies, but no action has been taken. The tribals have decided to escalate the matter if their demands are not met by June 10. They plan to stage a demonstration at the Mandal Development Office.
Govinda Rao, Honorary President of the State Adivasi Girijana 5th Schedule Sadhana Committee, along with tribal community leaders, participated in the protest.