Ritika
Gondia, In order to bring transparency in the work of the Employment Guarantee Scheme, the government has decided to take the presence of the laborers online twice a day along with their photos on this work. Accordingly orders were given to the employment servants. But according to a decision of the government itself, the employment workers have called for a strike from January 4 with the demand that the old decision should be changed by raising the question of how to be present twice if the employment workers are kept part time. Meanwhile, apart from the works of private profit, other public works have remained closed. Although no solution has been made by the government for the last one month. Due to this, many development works of the village have come to a standstill for the last one month.
The central government has instructed the laborers coming to work from January 1 to mark their attendance online through the NMMS system. The government’s order is also to take the said attendance twice a day. However, according to the government’s decision dated May 2, 2011, the employment servant has been kept part-time. That’s why they are being paid on the basis of that.
Therefore, Rozgar Sevaks earn a living for their families by working part-time elsewhere. However, under the NMMS system, the employment servants have to give online attendance to the laborers twice, so they have to give full time. So now the time has come that Rojgar Sevak should work full time on low salary.
Apart from this, many employment servants do not even have smart mobile phones and the cost of internet will also be on them. Then changing the government’s decision of 2011, the employment servants have gone on an indefinite strike from January 1. Demands have been made that rozgar sevaks should be made full time instead of part time, smart mobile phones should be made available, as well as the cost of internet should be approved. While the work of personal interest is being monitored by the employment servant, other public works have been stopped under MNREGA.
The question is being raised by the laborers that if they do not get wages then why go to work. That’s why under MNREGA, development works like paddy threshing, drain simplification, cement road, road ballasting, pond deafening, desilting, footpaths etc. are being stopped. But due to the government not yet resolving this issue, employment generation in rural areas has stopped and the laborers have no work to do and the ax of unemployment has fallen on them.
Thousands of plants on the verge of withering
A large number of saplings were planted in the villages with the message of ‘Plant trees, save trees’. The work of watering these trees is done by the laborers under the Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Scheme. But due to the strike of the employment servants, the laborers have also turned away from the work of MNREGA. As a result, watering of the plants has been stopped for the last one month. Summer has started now. In such a situation, plants need a lot of water. That’s why thousands of plants are on the verge of withering in many villages.
approve demands
On behalf of the Association, a meeting has been held with Health Minister Sandipan Bhumre and Principal Secretary Nand Kumar Verma and their problems and demands have been presented regarding their demands. But no solution has been found so far. There are about 560 employment servants in the district and at present, apart from the public works of Rogayo, private works such as Gharkul construction, Gotha construction etc. have started. As soon as our demands are accepted by the government, other works under Rogayo will also be started.
Duryodhan Vanjari (District President, Maharashtra State Village Employment Association, Gondia)
