CHENNAI: Fifteen years since its launch, the MGNREGA Scheme, which guarantees 100 days of employment a year, is yet to reach the Irular hamlet in Manimangalam village of Kancheepuram district, where 70 families live.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, launched in 2005 by the UPA Government, aims to cover every rural household by providing the adult members unskilled manual work for a daily wage. In Tamil Nadu, Rs 250 is given for a day’s work.
Without access to this scheme, the Irular tribals, are subjected to employment in farmlands of dominant caste people for very meagre wages while the women do domestic chores in nearby localities. Shankar (54), who has written to district authorities regarding the same, said he has not heard from them so far.
"We would get work for five days a week under this scheme, earning Rs 1,250 a week. The money from this scheme would at least help us to manage our daily expenses and we would not be at the mercy of dominant caste people," he said.
Mohanammal, who also works in the farmlands, said the landlords sometimes do not give us wages on time. “Even when he delays it by a day or two, we are forced to skip meals and are unable to to pay debts,” she said, adding since schools are also closed, children do not get adequate food as they don’t get the mid-day meals.
As per data of Ministry of Rural Development, under The MGNREGA scheme 1.32 crore people have registered, out of which 89.96 lakh people are actively working. The average age group is 68. The majority of the tribal population in Tamil Nadu is eligible to get work under the scheme.
On August 10, Ministry of Rural Development in Lok Sabha, said States have been told to expand scope and coverage of the demand registration system. The Central government has received Rs 3,758 crore for 2021-22. During 2020-21, Ministry of Tribal Affairs also provided Rs 5,476.01 crore for various development activities including education, health, livelihood to the States.
Mallika, who claims she has not received any old-age pension despite multiple requests to the district authorities said, "With no access to MGNREGA scheme, my debts are rising." M Azhagesan of the State-Tribal Association said he had handed over petitions to the officials a few years ago.
"We have not got any response. MGNREGA is a right-to-work scheme and it is a concern that it still not implemented here," he said.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, R Pannerselvam, District Revenue Officer, Kancheepuram, said the officials will visit the village and implement the scheme at the earliest. "We will look at avenues to give them employment in agriculture as well as civic body," he said.