India: Press Release by NREGA Sangharsh Morcha - Dec 26, 2022

 

One year of Injustice: One year of NREGA workers wage theft in West Bengal

 

●      Centre withheld over 7,500 cr funds, 2,744 cr due to NREGA workers

●      Centre hasn’t sanctioned labour budget for 2022-23

●      Loss of around 4687-6842 crores of NREGA wages this FY due to stoppage of work 

●      Average days of work for the current year dropped to meagre 23 from 63.46 days (pre-covid) and 49.96 days (post-covid)

 

Victimisation of workers:

MGNREGA workers in West Bengal have not been paid wages since 26th December 2021. Today, we mark one year of centre withholding the release of over Rs 7,500 crore MGNREGA funds to the state for ‘non-compliance of central government directives’ invoking the Section 27 of the Act. Out of this amount, the pending wages are touching a staggering figure of Rs. 2,744 crore. According to the report, there is around 4687 crores of perceived loss in NREGA wages from pre-Covid years^[1] and 6842 crores in comparison to post-Covid years^[2]. The present stoppage of wages is irrational and leads to victimization of workers who have done their work honestly. It has also pushed poor workers on the brink of starvation.

 

Violation of Fundamental Rights and Legal Provisions:

Section 27 of the Act may appear to allow the central government to “order stoppage of release of funds to the Scheme” in some circumstances, but this provision cannot be read as a license to stop wage payments to workers who have already worked. These workers have an unconditional right to be paid within 15 days. That line in Section 27 was formulated at a time when the release of funds preceded NREGA work. Today, work comes first, and then funds are effectively released when the central government pays the wages directly in workers’ accounts. Stopping the release of funds cannot be allowed, even under Section 27, when it has the effect of depriving workers of their rightful wages.

 

Both the Central and State Governments are guilty of violating the fundamental Right to life of 3.4 crore registered workers across the state. Denial of work and wages is also in contravention to the Supreme Court’s judgement in the Swaraj Abhiyan case^[3]. We understand from news reports that the Government of India (GoI) has stopped transfer of funds after discovering anomalies in the implementation of works under MGNREGA.

By turning a blind eye to corruption, the State Government has ensured that funds meant for workers are siphoned off by political goons from the ruling party in the state. With Panchayat elections due in mid 2023 , the Centre-State stand-off over NREGA funds is taking on political overtones. While the state asserts that all corrective measures have been taken, BJP at the Centre is however reluctant to release the money before the Panchayat elections. In this political slugfest the sufferers are workers who have been deprived of their wages for the past year. 

 

We encourage that measures should be taken to tackle corruption and increase transparency. Efforts should be made to ensure that social audits and grievance redressal mechanisms are effective. But, the standards of audits and action taken on audit findings are largely unsatisfactory in the state and across the country. The State Employment Guarantee Council (SEGC) and Central Employment Guarantee Council (CEGC)^[4] do not exist for the past couple of years.  This not only makes a mockery out of transparency and anti corruption measures, but also shows how the GoI is using anti corruption as an excuse while itself violating the Act. Eliminating leakages and irregularities cannot be used as an excuse to undermine the demand driven nature of the Act. This is a continuation of the government’s assault on NREGA and has once again exposed the central government’s lack of commitment for NREGA workers’ rights.

 

Our Demands

 In particular, we demand the following :-

 

1. Immediate release of MGNREGA  funds by Central Government, with immediate starting of new works and issue of new job cards.
2. The pending wages to the tune of Rs. 2,744 crores for all MGNREGA workers need to be released immediately along with the delay compensation at the rate of 0.05% per day for the entire duration of the delay^[5].
3. Sanction and transfer of the 2022-23 Labour Budget.
4. Action against anomalies and corruption in the scheme, and strengthening of social audits & grievance redressal mechanisms.
5. The State Government must start a revolving fund of Rs.1000 crores from which immediate payment of NREGA wages can be done and to ensure timely payment of wages, in the event of future delays or complications in receiving money from the Central Government.
6. All the documents pertaining to correspondence between the Central Government and the State Government on MGNREGA since 2019, including the reports of central team visits and action taken, should be made public.

 

For further information, please write at nrega.sangharsh.morcha@gmail.com or contact:

Anuradha (9433002064) | Nikhil  (9910421260) | Chakradhar (9246522344) |  Apurva (9313759050) |

---

^[1] average of 2018-19 and 2019-20

^[2] average of 2020-21 and 2021-22

^[3] Writ petition 857/2015; full judgement

^[4] The response to the RTI can be seen here

^[5] as per Para 29 of Schedule II of the Act.

No proper data on migrants misery in digital india

Migrants’ Misery in Digital India, the Government is Groping in the Dark Without Proper Data

Thomas Mathew Kadavil

https://theaidem.com/migrants-misery-in-digital-india-the-government-is-groping-in-the-dark-without-proper-data/

Unemployment rate (%) in different states of India - as on Aug 2022 | Indian Express

 

India - AICCTU Appeal: Support Relief Work to Daily Wage Workers Due to Torrential Rains in Bangalore

 AICCTU Appeal: Support Relief Work to Daily Wage Workers Due to Torrential Rains in Bangalore

Bengaluru has been experiencing torrential rains for the past few weeks, thus rendering several thousand working-class families in the lurch due to submergence of their houses. Mahadevapura zone in Bengaluru have been inundated in rain water owing to encroachment of lakes and rajakaluves (storm water drains) by illegal construction sites, lack of urban planning and apartments pumping out water from their premises into these nearby working-class areas. Neither the BBMP, nor the state government authorities have paid any heed to the dire circumstances of these slum residents.

The workers living in these areas are predominantly engaged in solid waste management, including powrakarmikas, auto drivers/helpers, rag pickers, construction workers, domestic workers, daily-wagers, among others, who make substantial contribution in building the city. Workers in these areas have lost their homes and most of their belongings. They do not have dry shelter and no food to eat. The children are among the worst off since they have lost their books and are unable to go to school.

Several complaints have been filed by the affiliate unions of All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) with the BBMP and state government authorities in regard to the situation in these areas and to ensure temporary shelter arrangements, provision of free ration, bedsheets, clothing, among other facilities, along with compensation for all the loss sustained due to submergence of all their household items, including electronic items, two-wheelers, ration, utensils, clothes, etc. While the government will take steps whenever it does, there is an urgent need to ensure that the people have access to basic amenities like shelter and food. AICCTU proposes to distribute tarpaulin to each family who are facing torrential rains every evening when the downpour starts. We also intend to provide ration kits for 2 weeks which would include: 10 kgs rice, 4 kgs wheat flour, 5 kgs rice, 1 litre oil, 1 kg salt, 2 kgs sugar and spices (haldi, chilli powder, jeera powder and coriander powder). We also intend to provide each family an education kit, which includes 4 notes books, 2 pens, 2 pencils, 2 erasers, 2 sharpeners and 2 boxes of crayons. With this we hope that the children will be able to go to school and the box of crayons to keep them engaged and distracted atleast for some time from the tragedy unfolding around them.

We are writing to you with an appeal to support this endeavour to help those who have lost everything to the floods. While media is busy talking about the housing complexes which are flooded and employees of big companies being stranded and the loss that the ORR companies have had during these rains, the survival of those who have a massive role in building the city is now at stake. You could use any of the payment options below:

Bank Name: Syndicate Bank (now merged with Canara Bank)
Bank Branch: Vimanapura, Bengaluru
A/c Holder Name: AICCTU (All India Central Council of Trade Unions)   
A/c no.: 04112010104497
IFSC no.: SYNB0000411    
MICR no.: 560025043

UPI: whynotpips@okaxis
Phone number: 9448135832

For more information, contact: Lekha (9686757053) or Swathi (9481168048)
[Please send a screenshot of the transaction to any of these numbers]

Workplace accidents: Inside India's 'factories of death' | Archana Shukla (BBC NEws)

 BBC News - Sept 5, 2022

Workplace accidents: Inside India's 'factories of death'

By Archana Shukla
BBC Business Correspondent

Image caption,

Muskan (in photo in the foreground) was among 21 people who died in a factory fire in Delhi in May

"This is a factory of deaths."

Ismail Khan's hand trembles as he points towards the second floor of a burnt building in India's capital, Delhi.

That was where he last saw his younger sister - trapped and suffocating, desperate to find a way out as the building was consumed by smoke and fire.

Muskan, 21, was among 27 people killed in the massive fire, which broke out in May at an electronics manufacturing unit in the four-storey building.

In the days after the fire, a top police official told media that the building's owner had not obtained clearance certificates from the fire department and police before subletting three floors of the building to two brothers who ran the manufacturing unit. The Delhi police's public relations officer also told the BBC that the unit did not have the "requisite licences" for operation.

The BBC phoned the factory owners several times but did not receive an answer. The BBC also tried to contact their lawyer but he refused to share his details where we could send queries.

India is aiming to become an industrial powerhouse, with government schemes and reforms tailored to encourage investments and innovation. But tragedies like the Delhi fire are all too common, with desperate and vulnerable workers often paying the price.

Image caption,

Twenty-seven workers died in the building fire in Delhi

Industrial accidents kill hundreds of people and permanently disable thousands every year. A federal minister told parliament in 2021 that at least 6,500 workers had died while working in factories, ports, mines and construction sites in five years. Labour activists, who have worked in the field for years, told the BBC that the figures could be higher as many incidents are not reported or recorded.

• Hundreds injured and 11 dead in Indian gas leak
• Dozens dead in Delhi bag factory fire

According to data collected by global workers' union IndustriAll, sectors such as manufacturing, chemicals and construction report the most fatalities in India. In 2021 alone, it said an average of seven accidents were reported every month in Indian manufacturing industries, killing more than 162 workers.

Over the years, news reports have flagged that workers in "small, unregistered factories" are often most affected by industrial accidents. The victims are usually poor workers or migrants whose families don't have the resources to fight legal battles.

The BBC has emailed questions to the labour commissioner at the Delhi Municipal Corporation and officials at the federal labour ministry, but has not received responses yet.

'I want justice'

Rakesh Kumar often wakes up screaming in the middle of the night. He lost three of his daughters in the fire at the Delhi factory, where they assembled Wi-Fi routers for 8,000 rupees ($100; £84) a month each.

"My daughters must have suffered so much," he says.

Image caption,

Rakesh Kumar lost three of his daughters in the Delhi factory fire

The family waited for news about them for days after the fire, until the police called them for a DNA test to identify their charred remains. His daughters were eventually cremated a month after the fire.

"I want justice for them," says Mr Kumar.

In August, the Delhi police filed charges in court against five accused in the case. They include attempt to commit culpable homicide and causing death by negligence.

Rajesh Kashyap, a trade union activist in Delhi, alleges that many factories in the capital and its suburbs flout at least one industrial or safety law, but action is rarely taken.

He and other labour activists allege that in many industrial accidents, cases languish for years while the accused are released on bail.

According to the Delhi police, 663 factory accidents were registered just in the capital over the past five years, in which 245 people died. Around 84 people were arrested in connection with these accidents.

In response to allegations from labour activists that the initial investigation in these kinds of cases is often flawed, police say they try to ensure "immediate action against the culprits". But, they add, convictions may not occur in many cases due to a number of reasons, including delay in getting forensic results and opinions from technical experts, among others.

Struggle for compensation

The BBC met several families who are still grappling with the loss of their loved ones, many of whom were the only breadwinners.

But legal red tape and a mix of factors can make it hard to access compensation from the companies.

A senior lawyer, who has worked on several worker compensation cases, told the BBC that such legal proceedings usually ran on for years.

Image caption,

Sangeeta Roy lost her arm in a workplace accident three years ago

Often, the government itself announces a lump-sum payment to the families, shifting focus away from demanding compensation from companies.

And by the time a case is taken up, the families of the migrant workers - hurt and broken by their loss - may have moved back to their village or another city in search of jobs.

"Workers don't have much faith in the legal system due to the long, complex processes. So, they take whatever money they get as settlement or ex-gratia from the government and leave," says Chandan Kumar, who is part of a civil society organisation that assists informal workers.

The BBC tried to contact families of the victims of a 2018 factory fire in Delhi in which 17 workers died, but almost all of them had left the city.

The case is similar for those maimed by these accidents.

Sangeeta Roy, 50, lost an arm while using a cardboard-cutting machine at her company three years ago. She says she didn't receive any compensation from her employers and had to wait for three years to get a government pension for injured workers.

There is no official national data on workers left disabled by industrial accidents. But a recent survey by non-profit Safe in India Foundation - done mainly in the vehicle parts manufacturing factories in northern India - says 3,955 serious accidents took place between 2016 and 2022. Seventy-percent of the injured had lost their fingers or crushed their hands while using a metal pressing machine.

India is a major auto manufacturing hub in South Asia, employing an estimated 10 million workers. A large part of the manufacturing is contracted and subcontracted to smaller companies.

The non-profit's founder, Sandeep Sachdeva, told the BBC that many states don't accurately report such cases.

Worries for the future

India has begun reforming its labour laws through four new labour codes that include provisions for occupational safety, health and working conditions.

But activists are concerned that the new laws might set the compliance bar even lower.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

Victims of industrial accidents often find it hard to access compensation

While the earlier law said that any company with 10 workers or more should have a safety committee, the proposed new law raises the number to 250.

But according to the 2016 Economic Census, just 1.66% of total non-agricultural establishments, 2% in manufacturing and 1.25% in the construction industry employed 10 or more workers.

There is no data available for the informal economy, which employs 90% of India's workforce.

Many companies are also shifting to hiring contract workers over permanent ones which further weakens workers' rights, says lawyer and labour rights activist Sudha Bhardwaj.

Desperation for jobs has also made workers hesitant to join unions.

The government has also changed protocols for workplace inspections in an effort to make the process easier for companies. While currently, labour officers are responsible for inspecting and ensuring the implementation of safety rules, their role will change to that of mediators under the new codes.

Labour experts say this makes it even less likely for factory owners to prioritise workers' safety or social security.

"Workers' safety will eventually be nobody's responsibility," says Sidheshwar Prasad Shukla, an academic and labour activist.

India should embrace ILO’s historic declaration on workplace safety | K R Shyam Sundar, Aug 28 2022

 India should embrace ILO’s historic declaration on workplace safety | K R Shyam Sundar, Aug 28 2022

Representative image. Credit: Unsplash PhotoRepresentative image. Credit: Unsplash Photo Incidents such as the gas leakage in chemical and other factories in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizag in May 2020 and Anakapalli district on August 2, 2022, ferroalloy pl...

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/panorama/india-should-embrace-ilo-s-historic-declaration-on-workplace-safety-1140201.html

 Incidents such as the gas leakage in chemical and other factories in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizag in May 2020 and Anakapalli district on August 2, 2022, ferroalloy plant in Vizag in September 2021, and the fire accident in unregistered manufacturing electronics units in Mundka, New Delhi, have often occurred. 

 Given the regular occurrence of industrial accidents, workplace safety in India, despite the so-called “strict and rigid” labour regulations, has become a matter of grave concern. It is in this context we need to understand the adoption of “a safe and healthy working environment” as part of the fundamental and core labour rights by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in June 2022.
The ILO in 1998 adopted the historic declaration: Fundamental Principles of Rights and Work (FPRW). The FPRW recognised four principles of labour standards: freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour; the effective abolition of child labour; and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. For each of them, two ILO conventions were identified as core conventions.
It was expected that the member countries by virtue of their membership of ILO and their commitment to its Constitution, it is their obligation, irrespective of their ratification record of the said ILO conventions, to “respect, to promote and to realise, in good faith” the above-mentioned four sets of principles.
Following the FPRW, ILO and the core conventions enjoyed global legitimacy. India has ratified only six of the eight core conventions. It has not ratified C.87
and C.98 (freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining) for political reasons.
Even a casual perusal and analysis of the FPRW, one can see that the right to work-life safety, minimum wages, social security and others are among the core principles. Differences in economic growth between countries were a possible reason to refrain from adding them. However, the cruel reality of ever-rising workplace accidents globally cannot be disregarded for long.

[ . . .]

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/panorama/india-should-embrace-ilo-s-historic-declaration-on-workplace-safety-1140201.html

India's Low Youth Employment Rate | Mahesh Vyas (Business Standard, August 29, 2022)

 

https://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/india-s-low-youth-employment-rate-122082900897_1.html

Business Standard, August 29, 2022

"Youngsters in the age group of 15 to 24 years hold the greatest promise as the source for economic growth of a nation. This is the age when people graduate from education and step into the labour markets to chart a career or at least make a living. People usually complete high school (12th standard) by 18 years of age, graduation by 21 years and post-graduation by 23 or 24 years. The transition from education to employment begins at different stages for different people during these years. In India, most people seem to make this transition after high school. Education may never end, but in the modern world, employment must begin somewhere between 15 and 24 years of age."

Global Employment Trends for Youth 2022 | ILO

 The ILO report is available here Global Employment Trends for Youth 2022: Investing in transforming futures for young people

India - Forced labour: A group of workers from Assam found themselves trapped on an Indian government border roads project in Arunachal Pradesh

 

MIGRANT WORKERS

19 workers fled Arunachal border road project. Only 10 survived. Their ordeal tells a larger story

Relatives of the workers, all from impoverished villages in Lower Assam, allege they were engaged in forced labour.

Rokibuz Zaman

[Aug 11, 2022]

Five of the rescued workers. | Special arrangement

Hikmat Ali called his family on July 5 with disappointing news. His “malik”, or supervisor, had just told him and his colleagues that they could not go home for Eid.

It had been a little over a month since the 45-year-old from Bhakuamari village in Assam’s Baksa district had travelled hundreds of kilometres to Arunachal Pradesh as part of a group of 28 workers to labour on a border road project close to China.

Denied leave for Eid, 19 of them had “fled the camp and gone missing,” said Ali’s aunt, 65-year-old Jamiran Nessa.

On July 23, eight of the 19 missing workers were rescued after they had spent nearly three weeks wandering through dense forests and hilly terrain. They had bad tidings for Hikmat Ali’s family. “We heard from his rescued colleagues that he is not alive,” Nessa said. “His wife and one of his brothers fainted after hearing the news.” Hikmat Ali was the only breadwinner of his eight-member family.

Although the authorities in Arunachal Pradesh haven’t confirmed Ali’s death, hopes of finding him alive have faded. Of the 19 workers who fled, 10 have been found alive. Five decomposed bodies were recovered from dense forests in Arunachal while a sixth body was found in the Furak River. Some of the bodies are so badly decomposed, they are yet to be identified. On August 1, the search for the remaining three workers was called off.

Hikmat Ali is still missing. Photo: Special arrangement.

The workers had been recruited for a Border Road Organisation project to build a road from Damin to Huri in Arunachal Pradesh’s Kurung Kumey district. The Border Roads Organisation is the road construction agency of the Indian armed forces. The project had been farmed out to contractors who were in charge of managing the worksite and recruiting for it.

Residents of Bhakuamari and the families of at least two workers allege they had been trafficked from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh and made to work under coercive conditions.

Johurul Islam, a relative of one of the missing workers, filed a first information report against Raham Ali, one of the subcontractors, on July 29. On August 1, he was arrested by the Arunachal police and booked for cheating and criminal breach of trust.

On August 2, a second arrest was made. Bengia Tani, the brother of Bengia Bado, the main contractor to whom the Border Roads Organisation had outsourced the project, was booked for wrongful restraint, criminal intimidation and section of the Arms Act. According to Inspector Gejum Basar of Arunachal’s Koliarang police station, he had fired in the air on July 4, the day before the workers fled the worksite.

But the Arunachal police and Border Road Organisation officials, as well as contractors in charge of the project, have denied allegations of forced labour.

Either way, the episode has thrown light on a grim reality in Arunachal Pradesh. Most of the workers employed for border road projects come from poor Muslim-majority districts in Lower Assam. Driven by desperation and drawn by the promise of higher daily wages, they end up working under exploitative conditions.

[ . . .]

Full Text Here : https://scroll.in/article/1029290/19-workers-fled-arunachal-border-road-project-only-10-survived-their-ordeal-tells-a-larger-story

India: 'Ek Chhoti Si Naukri Ka' (In search of little Job) song by Kishore Kumar in a 1954 Hindi Film 'Naukri' by Bimal Roy

 

India: Endless Wait of 60 million Senior Citizens for Pensions | Bharat Dogra

 

Endless Wait of 60 million Senior Citizens for Pensions

Bharat Dogra

The most important support needed by elderly persons is for regular and adequate pensions. Only about 10 per cent of senior citizens in India have access to regular and reasonable pensions. They are mostly those who have served in the civil government, armed forces and related parts of the formal sector. For the remaining over 90 per cent of senior citizens, pensions either do not exist, or else are irregular, uncertain or extremely inadequate.

 The pensions for this unorganized sector are provided mainly by the National Social Assistance Program or NSAP (and to a lesser extent by some other programs). Out of the nearly 82 million elderly citizens in this informal sector, this scheme of the Union Government manages to reach just about 22 million people. Many eligible and selected  persons have been denied pension due to insistence on Aadhar and biometric recognition, various irregularities and other factors. Thus around 60 million elderly people are still waiting to get any pension. There are separate pension schemes for widows under NSAP.

This scheme of the Union Government distinguishes between two age groups of elderly citizens—60 to 79 years and 80 years onwards. In the second age-group the Union government provides Rs. 500 per month per person. However the overwhelming majority of the elderly people are in the former age-group. For this age group the contribution of the Union government is just Rs. 200 per month.

 At a time when  highly dubious projects worth tens of thousands of crores have been cleared without much thought and huge income raises are provided to senior officials and politicians as a routine matter, when the number of billionaires in the country is higher than ever before, the pension offered to most elderly citizens who toiled from morning to night as farmers and workers for at least four decades by the union government is just Rs. 200 per month.

 This was fixed about a decade back and has not been changed since then despite many demands, protests and recommendations to increase this. During this period the value of this amount in present day prices has dwindled to just about Rs. 85 or so.

To this amount provided by the union government the state government generally adds a contribution of its own under this scheme. In some of the smaller states like Goa, Kerala and Delhi the state governments for a long time have been making a significant contribution so that the selected elderly citizens (not all elderly citizens) in these few states are able to get a higher pension than in most other states, but this is available to only a few compared to the national level numbers.

 In several states with much higher population of elderly citizens the contribution of the state government is also very small. For example in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar the pension under this scheme even after adding the state contribution is extremely less.

 So on the one hand about 60 million elderly people are not getting any pension and on the other hand most of them who manage to get a pension get a very meager amount. Even these pensions often do not reach them in time and many of these elderly persons have to spend a lot of effort and often some money to obtain their pension.

Their problems increased significantly after the introduction of Aadhar and biometrics based identification. The system of grievance removal which exists today leaves much to be desired and it is difficult for elderly people to get prompt action on their complaints. Pensions of several elderly persons are sometimes stopped arbitrarily and they keep running from pillar to post to renew them.

A justice-based solution, which is workable within existing  fiscal constraints,  is to provide at least one half of the minimum legal wage to all senior citizens. This should be unconditional for all except those in a very high wealth and income slab, without the recipient contributing to this. Those who are getting higher pensions under various provisions will continue to do so.

In practical terms what this means is that if the legal minimum wage is Rs. 300 per day, then an elderly person will get a pension of Rs. 4500 per month, and a couple will get Rs. 9000.

 This objective can be achieved if the Indira Gandhi National Social Assistance Program can get an allocation of around 1.80 per cent of GNP (compared to about 0.03 per cent which it gets today). Considering that allocations for this program have not been raised for a long time, this demand should get priority attention.

The writer is Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include A Day in 2071 and India’s Quest for Sustainable Farming and Healthy Food.    

India: NREGA Sangharsh Morcha Press releases for NREGA Dharna, Day 1 (2 August 2022 ) and Day 2 (3rd August 2022 )

 

NREGA Sangharsh Morcha

Ph: 9845371493/ 9433002064 / 7982910587

Twitter: @NREGA_Sangharsh
Facebook: @NREGASangharshMorcha Email: nrega.sangharsh.morcha[at]gmail.com

NREGA Dharna, Day 1, 2 August 2022

Workers Demand Increased Budgetary Allocations and Timely Payment

Hundreds of NREGA workers from 15+ states gathered for a three day protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi called under the banner of NREGA Sangharsh Morcha. The crucial role played by NREGA in supporting the rural population was highlighted during the pandemic, with work demand shooting up as lakhs of migrant workers streamed home. Even now, two years into the pandemic, NREGA’s demand remains high. And yet, NREGA is under attack by the government. Consistently decreasing budgetary allocations, wage payments delayed for months, negligible compensation paid for delays, and woefully low wages plague NREGA. These issues are widespread across the country.

The first day of protest was marked by the singing of protest songs, testimonies given by individual NREGA workers from different states, and enthusiastic sloganeering with some old, famous NREGA slogans: “Har haath ko kaam do, kaam ka poora daam do”, “Ladenge, Jeetenge!”, “Hum apna adhikaar maangte, nahin kisi se bheekh maangte”.

Anuradha Talwar from Pashchim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samiti shared about the Morcha’s demand of increasing the NREGA wage to Rs 800 a day, which roughly equals the monthly salary of the lowest paid government employees as per the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission. She also highlighted the situation of West Bengal, which suffers from the worst wage delays in the country – more than Rs. 2600 crores are yet to be paid over just the last 2 FYs, and no payments have been made since December 2021.

Workers from West Bengal, Telangana Bihar, and UP all highlighted the issues of delays in payments and unmet demand. Many of them have been demanding work since April with no response. They have also not received the unemployment allowance they are legally supposed to receive. The newly introduced NMMS application for marking attendance is causing much distress to workers across the country.

Political leaders also came to the event and expressed teir solidarity with the mazdoors. Binoy Viswam, CPI MP from Kerala, expressed his support of the ‘jal, jangal, zameen’ issue, and demanded the central govt. answer the mazdoors. Hannan Mollah, 8 time MP from CPI (M) in Howrah, and the senior leader of the All Indian Kisan Sabha, spoke about the common issues of farmers and NREGA labourers. He called the government an anti-farmer, anti-mazdoor government, and gave a call for unity of movements. Yogendra Yadav also joined the protest and expressed his solidarity with the cause. Annie Raja of NFIW was also present.

Nikhil Dey and Shankar Singh of MKSS spoke passionately about the deeper issues underlying the eroson of NREGA. They emphasised the need to come together and demand greater accountability from the government, and also raised issues of freedom of speech and the right to protest.

The day ended with plans to send state-wise delegations to each state’s opposition parties on the next two days of the dharna.

For further details please call Abhay (9845371493), Anuradha (9433002064), Apurva (9313759050), Laavanya (9910746743), Richa (9452232663) or write to nrega.sangharsh.morcha[at]gmail.com 

o o

NREGA Sangharsh Morcha
Ph: 9845371493/ 9433002064 / 7982910587 Twitter: @NREGA_Sangharsh
Facebook: @NREGASangharshMorcha
Email: nrega.sangharsh.morcha[at]gmail.com

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NREGA Dharna, Day 2, 3rd August 2022

500+ NREGA workers from across 15 states gathered in Jantar Mantar for the second day of the dharna today. 

Workers from Haryana, U.P., Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka gave testimonies about the hardships they have faced owing to persistent delays in wage payments, on how they did not get work when they demanded it, and about how no compensation was provided when workers were injured or even killed at the workplace. Many raised concerns regarding the introduction of the NMMS app for attendance at worksites and other technological interventions making it difficult to work in NREGA.

Several workers’ delegations visited the MPs of their states to share their grievances and demands. Memoranda and the charter of demands was presented to the following Members of Parliament: R. Krishnaiah (YSRCP), Uttam Kumar Reddy (INC), Dhiraj Sahu (INC), Diya Kumari (BJP), Jagannath Sarkar (BJP). The documents were also submitted to the Samajwadi Party office. Some of these MPs received the charter of demands and some of them expressed their support and assured to raise it in the parliament. D. Raja, the General Secretary of the CPI and Kavita Krishnan of CPIML attended the dharna and endorsed all the demands.

Currently, more than Rs. 21,850 crores of wages are pending since April 20201. This year’s pendency is already Rs 6,800 crores. In particular, no wages for West Bengal have been processed since December 2021 and current dues are above Rs. 2,500 crores. An analysis done of 18 lakh wage invoices of the first half of FY 21-22 showed that only 29% of payments were processed within the mandated 7 day period by the Government of India (GoI). There is enough evidence suggesting that inadequate funds allocation lead to wage delays. As of July 31, 66.4% of the budget has already been spent with 8 months remaining in the FY.

Corruption in NREGA is a genuine concern and social audits have been mandated primarily to curtail corruption. However, Rakshita Swamy of SAFAR and Karuna M., of PHM Tamil Nadu highlighted how funds for social audits have been curbed by the GoI themself. In a circular dated 5th January 2022, the Ministry of Rural Development said that social audits are a “pre-requisite” for fund release to States. On the one hand, the GoI is curtailing funds for NREGA on grounds of increased corruption and on the other, it has curtailed funds for social audits. There will be a detailed note on the issue of corruption in NREGA in the release tomorrow.

The alarming situation of food insecurity in the country and the need for greater investments in food entitlement was highlighted. Workers spoke about the difficulties in affording even two meals a day due to high inflation with a gas cylinder costing more than Rs. 1000. Mandvi, a worker from Bihar asked to end the “Ram Mandir politics” and ensure food security. There were demands to universalise PDS and have quotas for NFSA based on 2022 population projections to be in compliance with Supreme Court orders. Further PDS must include pulses, millets and oils. The PMGKAY must be extended till such time that the pandemic continues.

For further details please call Abhay (9845371493), Anuradha (9433002064), Apurva (9313759050), Laavanya (9910746743) or write to nrega.sangharsh.morcha[at]gmail.com

1

http://mnregaweb4.nic.in/netnrega/pfms_response_latest_may.aspx?fin_year=2022-2023&source=national&Digest=tcKvO x2xp47V1TJeb2KhXQ

 

India: NREGA Sangharsh Morcha Charter of Demands - August 2022