CHENNAI: CM MK Stalin on Friday urged Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Giriraj Singh to release funds due to the tune of Rs 2,696.77 crore immediately, under MGNREG Scheme. He said additional funds may also be released to the unskilled workers regularly.
In a letter, Stalin said for 2023-24, the centre has released Rs 4,903.25 crore for unskilled wages to workers up to July 19. Subsequently, on September 25, it sanctioned Rs 1,755.43 crore for payment of unskilled wages. However, out of the sanctioned amount, only Rs 418.23 crore seemed to have been released, leaving a balance of `1,337.20 crore yet to be credited into the account of workers. A liability of Rs 1,359.57 crore for wages for the subsequent weeks has also not been released yet. Thus, as of October 20, the wage liability for workers in Tamil Nadu has accumulated to Rs 2,696.77 crore.
Stalin also recalled that during a recent visit to the Kattankulathur panchayat union in Chengalpattu district on October 17, both the public and public representatives made a plea for the release of unpaid wages under MGNREGS to workers immediately in view of the ensuing festive season. A similar request was made in Tiruvannamalai district as well.
Stalin said Tamil Nadu has always been a top-performing state in the implementation of the rural job scheme under various parameters. In Tamil Nadu, 92.86 lakh households have been issued job cards. Out of that, nearly 91.52 lakh workers and about 76.15 lakh households are actively participating in the MGNREGS works regularly.
As agriculture in Tamil Nadu is heavily dependent on rains from the southwest monsoon and cyclonic rains from the northeast monsoon, vagary in any one of them leads to higher demand for MGNREGS work.