Delhi: MGNREGS Workers Hold Protest, Seek More Work, Timely Wages, Resist Budget Cuts

New Delhi: Hundreds of rural workers seeking work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) held a protested in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar last week, citing consecutive budget cuts and resultant work denial.

In the protest on December 6, 2024, held under the banner of the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha, several workers said they had been summarily denied 100 days’ work mandated under the Central scheme. Similarly, the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) and Aadhar-based payment system (ABPS) had added woes to their lives, they added.

While NMMS requires workers to upload their pictures to prove their presence on the work site and authenticity of the executed work, ABPS requires the job cards and bank accounts to be linked with Aadhar cards. It also requires the bank to be linked with the National Payment Corporation of India mapper through its institutional identification number.

The Central government made the system mandatory for payments on January 1, 2024. A report by LibTech India, an NGO working to make technology accessible to people, found that 6.7 crore workers had become ineligible to seek work under the scheme due to non-compliance with Aadhar seeding. 

The experience narrated by Amaliya Devi from Arariya district in Bihar revealed multiple facets of corruption under the scheme and how rural poor were being deprived of work when they need it most for their survival.

Talking to NewsClick, Devi said she was awaiting payment for 13 days’ work and had not even been apprised by officials over the expected disbursal.

However, Reena Devi who mobilised her for the protest in Delhi, said she would not get any payments. “The corrupt officials of the gram sabha keep the job cards of all MGNREGA workers with themselves. Once the work is allocated, these officials take random persons for work, who are promised payments in two instalments. For example, if the wage rate for a day’s work is Rs 266, then they are promised Rs 100 immediately and rest of the money later. Since most of these workers are landless, they agree to this. After completion of work, a programme officer along with other officials makes the fund transfer online to a person who did not work for a single day. This person is happy because he receives money without any work. Actually, his bank account is used for graft,” she added.

Pooja, who came for the protest with her co-workers from Pali district of Southern Rajasthan, told NewsClick that they were struggling to find work under the scheme after resumption of operations after eight months.

“The officials are denying us work. Even if we find work, uploading of photos online on the app is a painful task. We keep looking for network. Sometimes we get access to the internet one kilometre away from the work site. The whole process puts women workers in unsafe conditions,” she said, adding that “Let’s assume that one gets all things right and performs the full day’s task. However, one later finds that only Rs 120 has been transferred instead of Rs 266 per day. The officials provide lame excuses for writing off our work. We are disturbed by this apathy.”

Pooja said the workers wanted mandated 125 days of work under the scheme in Rajasthan. Additionally, the wage rate should be increased to Rs 400. Recall that the Rajasthan government passed the Rajasthan Minimum Guaranteed Income Act in November 2023 to provide additional 25 days of work under the scheme.

“I worked for 40 days and my husband too found similar quantum of work, which is grossly inadequate to run a family. Inflation has killed our nutritional needs. We are entirely dependent on coarse millets, like jowar and bajra, for survival. Vegetables are cooked only on special or festive occasions,” she added.

Maya Devi, in her 60s, said older people like her were more vulnerable now to threats of expulsion from homes by children. “At least a pension will secure us from the hardships of old age. If a person does not have a child to care of him/her, then this is the last resort for survival,” she added.

Sadanand Mahato, from Purulia district in West Bengal, narrated trepidations of an uncertain life after the Centre stopped funding the scheme in the Opposition-ruled state. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, had informed parliamentarians on December 3 that Central assistance to MGNREGA was stopped owing to large scale corruption by Bengal government functionaries. However, the Morcha leaders maintained that neither any complaint nor any penalties had been imposed in the matter. 

Mahato said he received payment of 16 days’ work after a span of three years. “I received Rs 3,100 after three years. However, the block level officers are not accepting any fresh applications for work under the scheme.”

 Image Credit: NREGA Sangharsh Morcha

When asked how common villagers like him bear the expenses of education and healthcare, Mahato said: “Agriculture provides us food. Some work can be found in construction in township areas. However, if any medical emergency arises, we have no choice. Several people die in absence of treatment. This is our life and we have to live,” he added.

Talking to NewsClick on the sidelines of the protest, Ashish Ranjan, secretary, Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan, said that the demand for increased budgetary allocation for MGNREGS was the driving force behind the protest. 

He said even if the Central government did not intend to increase the work days of the existing number of people employed in the scheme, it would need Rs 2.5 lakh crore to pay them. However, at present, the scheme has been allocated Rs 86,000 crore only.

“Our experience suggests that 25% of this money is used to pay the dues of previous years. So, the final figure comes around Rs 60,000 crore or one-fourth of the actual requirement. Mind you, I am not factoring in corruption and other leakages,” he said.

Ranjan further said: “The ruling Bharatiya Janata party and its associates argue about increased allocation, but they do not disclose that the share of the scheme in proportion to country’s Gross Domestic Product or GDP is also declining. We also see other problems rising. The payments are delayed because the money is not released in time. It is baffling that every year the finance ministry officials present two figures -- budget estimates and revised estimates. Are you not aware about the money this scheme uses every year?” 

Asked if he hoped for any positive response from the Centre as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had himself expressed his repugnance for the scheme, Ranjan said that it was indeed a difficult period for people believing in movements to bring change.

“Before staging protests at Jantar Mantar, we held a press conference. Our delegations met Members of Parliaments. In a democracy, you keep on knocking every door. We made it clear that if they do not accept our demands, we would appeal to defeat BJP in the elections,” he said.

 Image Credit: NREGA Sangharsh Morcha

Ranjan added that the “shrinking of democratic space” could be seen at Jantar Mantar, too.  “When the protesters came out of New Delhi Railway Station, a few policemen stopped them. It was after much persuasion and showing of approval of protest documents, that the protesters were released. Our red flag acts like a warning sign for them. If we do not oppose this dictatorial behaviour, then they shall have no challenger.”

Ranjan went on to add that people were very resilient. “Their stories will fill you with pain. Our volunteers who work with these people say they are forced to migrate owing to poverty and inflation. They want to educated their children but do not have resources. Yet, they are not losing hope. Despite such suffering, they came to Delhi because they have hope in democracy.”