Right to Food Campaign: Employment Guarantee Act

Right to Food Campaign

Rozgar Update: 118

Dear friends,
The battle for Minimum Wages for NREGA workers and linking NREGA wages to inflation indices is gathering steam (please see the articles under the head "The Battle for Minimum Wages" - Section 1.2). The NAC recommended Minimum wages for NREGA workers. On 9th November, the AP High-Court gave the Centre a week to explain how "wages payable to the workers under the NREGA can be lower than the wages fixed as per the Minimum Wages Act." The Minister for Rural Development Dr. C.P. Joshi also came under pressure, for misleading the public by saying that there is a SC order granting a stay on the AP High Court's Order. The Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and NAC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi had also written to the PM demanding minimum wages for the workers. Workers in Rajasthan have been sitting in Jaipur for 47 days (organised after a rally which lasted for 16 days). They finally received an assurance from the state government that it would link wages to the consumer price index after the central government issues an order on this matter. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labour has started consultations to create a law for nationally statuatory minimum wages. The Rozgar update follows, containing news articles, developments in delhi as well as some new research on the NREGA.

Regards

Important Articles and News
1. General
  1. How women seized NREGA
  2. NREGA: Mixed success so far
2. The Battle for Minimum wages
3. Entitlements
  1. Delays in wages: Unfulfilled hopes (In Chattisgarh)
  2. MoRD Minister's Interview: "NREGA has never been implemented in the Tight Spirit"
4. Corruption
  1. Rajasthan: Scam in Dungarpur
  2. Gujarat: e-literate stumbles upon 1 crore NREGA scam, Probe on
Developments in Delhi
1. NAC "Working Group on Trnasparency, Accountability and Governance" makes Recommendations on NREGA. [See NAC Release here]
  The recommendations are on -
  1. Payment of Wages to workers
  2. Social Auditing of NREGA
  3. Securing the Entitlements Guaranteed Under NREGA
2. CEGC Working Reports and Ministry's Views now available on NREGA website [Find here]
3. Ministry releases "Requests for Qualification" for NREGA and UID Related Projects [Find here]
4. Ministry releases "Report to the People" on NREGA (Feb 2006 - Feb 2010) [Find here]
5. First Reports by Eminent Citizens on Working of NREGA [Find here]
From the Field
1. Jaipur Dharna
2. Public Hearing in Assam
  1. News Article: Public Hearing on NREGA in Assam, First Eminent Citizen's Report from Assam
3. Corruption in NREGA in Kalahandi District (via Saswata Sourava Panda, OREGS List Member)
  News has come of corruption from the Kamarda gram panchayat in Lanjigarh block of Kalahandi district. During the year 2008, under TFC fund, Rs. 1,20,000 had been sanctioned towards improvement of agriculture & drinking water facilities. As per the villagers residing in the panchayat,the above fund had not been used properly. A special Gram Sabha was organized in the presence of the Lanjigarh ABDO Mr. Mallik, two Junior Engineers, PEO and the GRS at Kamarda. In the Gram Sabha, the ABDO agreed that from the TFC fund, Rs. 1, 20,000 & from "MO POKHARI" scheme under MGNREGS, Rs. 1, 78,000 have been misappropriated through manipulation. The ABDO had brought this to the notice of the District Collector Kalahandi, who in his instruction ordered a FIR to be filed against the Sarpanch and the executive officer at Norla Police station. When the ABDO tried to do so, the IIC of the Narla Police Station, Mr. Nilamani Parida, refused to take the FIR from him and said that they can't take the FIR and only if the special Audit team will give the FIR, can it be considered.
  
  Unfortunately, at present, both the BDO Mr. Lokesh Pradhan and ABDO have been transferred from the Lanjigarh Block. So the case is still unsettled. As per the ward member of Kamarda gram panchayat, Mr. Rabindra Pradhani, there are about 1,400 Job Card holders in the panchayat, among whom about 100 Job Card holders are from the Kamarda village. Regrettably, they were not getting regular work under MGNREGS, as a result of which they were and still are forced to migrate outside in search of work from time to time.
  
  Therefore, under the guidance of Mr. Rabindra Kumar Pradhani, the ward Member of Kamarda gram panchayat, on 23^rd October 2010, about 15 to 20 villagers of the panchayat are planning to visit the Collector's office at Kalahandi and will also give him their memorandum.
4. They hit back, and "it felt good": Article by Rajesh Veeraraghvan on a confrontation between a corrupt leader ande workers [Find here
Recent Research on the NREGA
1. D. Narasimha Reddy,Rukmini Tankha, C. Upendranadh, Alakh N. Sharma. NREGA As Social Protection. IDS Bulletin, Volume 41, Issue 4. [Find here]