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In this editorial episode, Mr. Sujit Nair discusses the issue of unpaid wages for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers in West Bengal. On June 22, 2023, a group of MGNREGS workers gathered at the office of the chief labour commissioner in Nizam Palace, Kolkata, to protest against the withholding of funds and non-payment of wages.
The central government took the decision to withhold funds for MGNREGS in West Bengal on December 21, 2021, using Section 27 of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGREGA). The Union Budget 2023-24 did not allocate a labor budget for the state under this scheme.
Multiple on-site reports revealed that many laborers have been awaiting their wages for more than a year. The lack of work opportunities under the scheme has severely affected the financial well-being of these workers, for whom MGNREGS is a lifeline.
The central government's freeze on funds amounts to over Rs 7,500 crore for West Bengal, with wage liabilities totaling over Rs 2,762 crore. This funding freeze has adversely impacted the lives of more than 13 million MGNREGS workers in the state, with many still waiting for wages from as far back as 2021.
The protest on June 22 was organized by Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity and other groups affiliated with the informal network Right to Food and Work Network, West Bengal. The demonstration saw participation from over a thousand workers from various parts of the state.
During the protest, the workers demanded the release of Rs 2,765 crore in wages that have been pending for over 18 months. These MGNREGS workers, numbering around 6.81 crore, constitute roughly 17 percent of the country's rural workforce.
A delegation of five protestors met with the regional labor commissioner, Hemang Dimngel. The campaign group ""Right To Food and Work Campaign"" noted that Dimngel appeared unaware of the issue but promised to forward the demands to the central government.
The campaign further accused the central government of pushing workers into destitution, poor health, and starvation by withholding wages for 18 months without any fault on the workers' part.
The protestors also alleged that the Union Budget's lack of allocation for the scheme is part of the central government's plan to gradually phase out MGNREGS, thereby eroding one of the few legal rights that rural workers possess.
The demands of the protestors included immediate settlement of wage arrears, inclusion of MGNREGS workers in all labor welfare programs, and holding the Centre accountable for the delay in addressing wage arrears.
Registered MGNREGS workers are entitled to 100 days of employment. The scheme, with regular work opportunities, enables villagers to lead a decent life even with 30-40 days of work, earning around Rs 213 per day.
#MGNREGA #PMModi #MamataBanerjee #WestBengal #TMC #AmitShah #MNREGA #DailyWagers #Workers #Poverty
https://linktr.ee/sujitnair
In this editorial episode, Mr. Sujit Nair discusses the issue of unpaid wages for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers in West Bengal. On June 22, 2023, a group of MGNREGS workers gathered at the office of the chief labour commissioner in Nizam Palace, Kolkata, to protest against the withholding of funds and non-payment of wages.
The central government took the decision to withhold funds for MGNREGS in West Bengal on December 21, 2021, using Section 27 of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGREGA). The Union Budget 2023-24 did not allocate a labor budget for the state under this scheme.
Multiple on-site reports revealed that many laborers have been awaiting their wages for more than a year. The lack of work opportunities under the scheme has severely affected the financial well-being of these workers, for whom MGNREGS is a lifeline.
The central government's freeze on funds amounts to over Rs 7,500 crore for West Bengal, with wage liabilities totaling over Rs 2,762 crore. This funding freeze has adversely impacted the lives of more than 13 million MGNREGS workers in the state, with many still waiting for wages from as far back as 2021.
The protest on June 22 was organized by Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity and other groups affiliated with the informal network Right to Food and Work Network, West Bengal. The demonstration saw participation from over a thousand workers from various parts of the state.
During the protest, the workers demanded the release of Rs 2,765 crore in wages that have been pending for over 18 months. These MGNREGS workers, numbering around 6.81 crore, constitute roughly 17 percent of the country's rural workforce.
A delegation of five protestors met with the regional labor commissioner, Hemang Dimngel. The campaign group ""Right To Food and Work Campaign"" noted that Dimngel appeared unaware of the issue but promised to forward the demands to the central government.
The campaign further accused the central government of pushing workers into destitution, poor health, and starvation by withholding wages for 18 months without any fault on the workers' part.
The protestors also alleged that the Union Budget's lack of allocation for the scheme is part of the central government's plan to gradually phase out MGNREGS, thereby eroding one of the few legal rights that rural workers possess.
The demands of the protestors included immediate settlement of wage arrears, inclusion of MGNREGS workers in all labor welfare programs, and holding the Centre accountable for the delay in addressing wage arrears.
Registered MGNREGS workers are entitled to 100 days of employment. The scheme, with regular work opportunities, enables villagers to lead a decent life even with 30-40 days of work, earning around Rs 213 per day.
#MGNREGA #PMModi #MamataBanerjee #WestBengal #TMC #AmitShah #MNREGA #DailyWagers #Workers #Poverty
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Namaskar, welcome to another episode of editorial.
00:05 Today I have a very important editorial to talk to you.
00:10 7500 crores of rupees is pending towards West Bengal for Mannerega.
00:18 Now not paying Mannerega, Centre not paying a state for Mannerega has very serious ramification
00:26 on the people of that particular state and that's what I am going to talk to you about.
00:30 So today's editorial is very important.
00:33 Let's go right into the show.
00:38 You know before I talk to you about today's editorial, let me put things into perspective.
00:45 And the best way to put things into perspective is through a story.
00:51 Now long long ago there was this king.
00:54 This king, he built huge palaces, huge palaces, huge darbar halls.
01:06 He told the people, listen, you know what, it is important, it is a true nationalism
01:14 to build huge palaces and huge darbar hall.
01:16 You know why?
01:18 Because if I build huge palaces and huge darbar hall, the whole world will think that we are
01:25 prosperous, we are superpower.
01:29 The king told his subjects and a lot of subjects believe in it.
01:36 The king then bought a rath, rath is a chariot.
01:41 The king bought a rath and he put diamonds and emeralds into that rath.
01:46 A diamond emerald studded rath he bought.
01:50 And he told his subjects, he said, listen, subjects, if your king roams around in a diamond
01:56 studded rath, the whole world will see our prosperity.
02:01 The whole world will respect us, will fall at our feet.
02:06 So it is for nationalism, it is my nationalist feeling that God made me buy this rath.
02:12 The subjects believed it.
02:18 Now what really happened were two things.
02:22 One is builders, architects, jewelers who are the rich in the community started getting
02:33 more richer because they were building these huge palaces and huge darbar halls.
02:40 The jewelers were providing with emerald and diamond and ruby and so on and so forth.
02:46 So these rich started getting richer and richer and richer.
02:51 But where was this money coming from?
02:56 This money was coming from the taxes of the poor peasants.
03:01 And the fact is because all the money were put in darbars and in raths, the farmers were
03:08 not given money.
03:10 They were not helped when their crops drowned in flood or the rains didn't show up in their
03:16 farms.
03:17 They were not helped.
03:20 So the poor started getting poorer and the rich started getting richer.
03:27 And this divide started growing and growing and growing and growing.
03:34 This is what happened to that kingdom.
03:40 Now let me come to the topic of hand and I will try and juxtapose what I just said to
03:46 what I am going to say.
03:49 See 7500 crores is what according to the state government and according to reports, 7500
03:59 crores is what West Bengal is owed by the central government for Manreka.
04:06 So they have not paid for Manreka.
04:08 Central government has not paid for Manreka.
04:10 Out of this 7500 crores, 2762 crores are payment for the people who worked, the farmers, the
04:23 rural population, the daily workers, the lowest strata of the society.
04:28 They were not paid 2762 crores.
04:34 You see, the fund freeze is lying heavy on the lives of 13 million Manreka workers in
04:42 the state, many of whom are awaiting the wages from 2021.
04:46 Since 2021, they have not been paid.
04:53 Now I will tell you why Manreka is so important.
04:55 Let us first understand what Manreka is.
04:58 Manreka earlier on was called the National Rural Employment Act.
05:01 It was called NREGA.
05:02 Later on, it got changed to Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Act, Manreka.
05:09 This act was instituted, enacted in September 2005.
05:15 And what this act does is this act is regarded as the Indian labor law and social security
05:21 measure that targets to guarantee people of India the right to work, the right to work.
05:29 Manreka, the act aims to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least
05:36 100 days of wages in 365 days, at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year
05:43 to every household whose adult member volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
05:52 100 days of labor is guaranteed to every adult in a family, which means the husband and the
06:01 wife can go to work.
06:03 If they have an adult son, he can go to work too.
06:05 If they have an adult daughter, she can go to work too.
06:10 So if four people in a family are working, then 400 days of wages for that family is
06:15 guaranteed right to work.
06:23 You see, why Manreka is important, why am I talking to you about this subject is because,
06:27 you see, I have seen with my own eyes when farmers, when farmers struggle with their
06:36 produce, because of famine, because of floods, because of other reasons like insects, when
06:44 they struggle with their produce, Manreka comes in as an angel from heaven for them.
06:52 Because that ensures that they don't get luxuries, they don't live a great life, but at least
06:57 they get two square meals and for a farmer, that's a big thing, believe me you.
07:02 That's a big thing, that's that one string that holds them from committing suicide.
07:10 That's why Manreka is important.
07:13 So when Manreka is visited with, when Manreka is visited with, one gets very concerned because
07:22 that's what makes, that's the only social security we are giving the poor people of
07:26 this country.
07:28 And if you play with that social security, even that goes.
07:31 Now I will give you some more detail.
07:33 Let me get into some more detail as always.
07:35 According to people there, they say that the central government is in sense pushing the
07:39 workers into destitution, ill health, starvation by stopping wages for 18 months for no fault
07:46 of the workers.
07:47 There was a protest going on till June in West Bengal, where the protester says you
07:53 are pushing us to destitution, yaar.
07:56 Now according to the government, why the government is not paying?
08:00 The government says people of the state must know how TMC leaders and workers have misused
08:05 the central funds.
08:07 This is what Ghosh, that is the BJP leader in West Bengal says.
08:10 He says that they even changed name of the centre scheme passed by them as their own.
08:17 Under such circumstances, the centre stopped funds to put an end to corruption.
08:22 What is wrong with you people?
08:25 What is wrong with you people?
08:28 Your political fights are harming the family, are harming the lives of the poor, the poorest
08:34 of the poor.
08:37 You change the name, you are corrupt, you don't do, you are unfair, it is centre, I
08:42 am state.
08:43 This thing has harmed the poorest of the poor people in India for crying out loud, stop
08:49 it.
08:52 Stop it.
08:53 Let me give you some details.
08:55 You see, it is not that West Bengal is the only state.
08:59 West Bengal is one of the state but the most, the maximum amount of money is spending in
09:04 West Bengal.
09:05 The government has still to pay Arunachal Pradesh 7.84 crores, the government has still
09:09 to pay Assam 196.11 crores, the government has still to pay Haryana 8.80 crores, the
09:16 government has still to pay Jharkhand 162.52 crores, the government has still to pay Karnataka
09:22 45.08 crores, the government has still to pay Kerala 456.2 crores, the government has
09:28 still to pay Ladakh 4.72 crores, the government has still to pay Madhya Pradesh 83.32 crores,
09:33 Mizoram 42.89 crores, Nagaland 183.55 crores, Rajasthan 108.80 crores, Tamil Nadu 210.74
09:44 crores, Telangana 139.77 crores, Uttar Pradesh 52.48 crores, Puducherry 0.34 crores, West
09:52 Bengal 2744.76 crores.
09:58 The total government still owns states 4447.92 crores out of which like I said 2744 crores
10:09 are to be paid to West Bengal.
10:12 Like what Apoorva Gupta from Narega Sangarsh Morcha who was part of the activist and journalist,
10:20 she said that even if they are having one meal a day, it usually comprises of rice and
10:26 water.
10:27 The children are dependent on midday meals too that is provided in the schools.
10:34 I just want you to think of those lives.
10:38 I just want you to think of those lives and this is real.
10:41 I am not narrating you a movie story.
10:44 I am telling you the real facts.
10:47 Rice and water or wo bhi nahi, you are taking that also away from them.
10:53 The children, they survive off midday meals which is provided in the schools and if the
10:57 midday meals are not provided or if chapatis and salt is what they have for midday meals,
11:03 so that is what their meal is.
11:06 In fact, I am not just saying this.
11:08 Even the High Court has asked the Centre for answer on June 7, 2023.
11:15 The Calcutta High Court on June 6 asked the Union Government and the West Bengal Government
11:19 to submit reports on non-payment of wages of workers enrolled in the Mahatma Gandhi
11:24 National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
11:27 That is Mandrega.
11:28 Even the High Court has asked for an explanation.
11:30 Now think about the story I mentioned in the beginning of my editorial.
11:34 You see, we spend close to 20,000 crores on Central Vista.
11:39 Why?
11:40 We should have a very good parliament like that King said.
11:44 We should have a very big palace.
11:47 We should have huge Darbar halls.
11:50 We spend 8,000 crores on two jets for the Prime Minister and others.
11:55 8,000 crores.
11:56 Why?
11:57 Because the chariot should be studied.
12:01 It should be studied with diamond and emeralds because the world should say that we are very
12:08 prosperous.
12:09 You have people who are rich, getting richer and richer and richer.
12:16 The big deals that we crack across the globe, that is helping huge companies and you see
12:21 and you saw the Oxfam report.
12:23 Those huge buildings that we go in, those huge deals that we go in our 8,000 crore jets
12:30 and we crack those deals, those deals help the large companies.
12:35 Large companies, large companies do not employ Mandreka labourers.
12:40 They do not employ Mandreka labourers.
12:42 So those large companies and those owners of those large companies go richer and richer
12:46 and because these people are not paid their salaries, these people are not paid their
12:51 wages, these people get poorer and poorer and poorer and poorer.
12:57 Now think what Oxfam said.
13:01 Now think about the wedge that one spoke about and you will get the reason for it.
13:07 This is the reason for it.
13:09 So next time when we are in that 20,000 crore worth Central Vista Parliament and when we
13:17 ride that 8,000 crores worth of plane, please keep somewhere in your mind that a child has
13:24 not had his meal tonight.
13:27 That one meal that one person gets that is rice and water, that also has been deprived.
13:34 Please remember that in the 20,000 crore Parliament House that we have built for ourselves.
13:39 That is all I have to say.
13:41 Till I see you next time, Namaskar.
13:44 [MUSIC]