KOLLAM: It’s Onam tomorrow. However, workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in several panchayats across the state have little to cheer, what with their wages still pending.
Payments of several workers have been delayed by a week to 45 days, forcing many families to borrow money to celebrate Onam. Families where both spouses are MGNREGS workers say their household budgets have collapsed.
When contacted, the officials blamed the non-payment on the delay in release of the central share. A senior official, however, said the issue will be resolved in a couple of days.
“The Union Ministry of Rural Affairs has yet to release around `500 crore to the state. This delay has hindered payment of wages,” said a source at the local self-government department, adding that many unpaid workers have started seeking other jobs. “In Mylam panchayat of Kollam, where there were 2,500 guaranteed workers, only 1,800 remain. Even after five musters, some workers have not received wages,” the source said.
In Velinallur panchayat in Kollam, salaries for 15 to 35 days are pending in some wards. In Alappad panchayat, only six days of work have been accounted for this financial year, yet payments remain pending even after four months. Said the source: “In the past, workers have been patient whenever we told them that fund crunch is the issue. However, it’s Onam. Their frustration is understandable. We can empathise, but the funds are the bottleneck.”
The workers are impatient. “It’s been a month since I received wages. When we contacted the village office, they blamed fund crunch. Now, with Onam approaching, our entire budget is shaken. We have to depend on our relatives for money. Everyone is enjoying the festival, but we are struggling,” said a worker in Kollam.
A worker from Thiruvananthapuram said, “This Onam has become the worst festival. We have no idea when we will receive our wages. We are not asking for a government bonanza, only our rightful share.”
A revenue department official said the state government plans to distribute an Onam bonus of `1,200 to workers who completed 100 working days in the year. However, those unable to meet this threshold due to illness or other reasons are concerned.
When contacted, a senior official said the fund issue will be resolved soon. “We understand the situation of the workers. All wage arrears will be cleared shortly. The problem was the fund crunch, but it will be resolved in a day or two.. The finance minister has told us that the funds will be allocated soon,” said the official.