ONGOLE: The Central government has released Rs 119.73 crore to clear pending Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) wage payments in Prakasam district, providing financial relief to daily wage workers.
District Project Director of DWMA, Joseph Kumar, said the pending payments of Rs 119.73 crore cover 1.5 lakh daily wage workers who had not been paid since May 29, 2025, due to non-sanction of funds. He said the amounts would be credited to workers’ bank accounts within a week.
Officials said the district has 4.42 lakh MGNREGS job card holders, with 3.81 lakh families engaged in daily work. So far in the 2025-26 financial year, officials spent Rs 252.45 crore on projects and paid Rs 132.72 crore in wages by May 29.
Joseph Kumar said, “As per the norms, we have to pay the wages to all daily wage workers weekly. Now the funds are released, and within a week, the amounts will be deposited into the bank accounts of all the 1.5 lakh workers in the district.”