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Journalism of Courage
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking the government to consider advance payment of 21 days’ wages to MGNREGA workers across the country to help them tide over the present crisis due to the coronavirus lockdown. Gandhi asked the Government to extend support to nearly eight crore rural workers.
Arguing that MGNREGA has been a critical lifeline for the rural poor, particularly during periods of chronic economic distress, Gandhi said “lakhs of agricultural workers have been left unemployed during the crucial harvesting season (and) devoid of an alternative source of income, an increasingly large number of the rural poor are expected to demand work under MGNREGA.”
“However, social distancing norms have rendered all works unfeasible during the lockdown. Furthermore, even after the works commence, MGNREGA workers have to wait for more than a month to receive wages. Given the urgency of providing income support to the rural poor, due to lost wages, the government may consider immediate advance payment of wages for 21 days to registered and active MGNREGA workers. The advance wages may be adjusted against the work to be done by the workers, once MGNREGA sites are opened up,” she said.
