Khammam: Lack of coordination among Ministers delays pay scale implementation for NREGS staff

As a support staff, they play a crucial role in the execution of works under the NREGS which aims at enhancing livelihood security of rural households and prioritises sustainable development.

Khammam: Contractual employees of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), who have been demanding implementation of pay scale, are at a loss as there has been lack of coordination among the Ministers concerned.

Field assistants, assistant programme officers (APOs), engineering consultants and computer operators have been demanding implementation of pay scales for a long time. As a support staff, they play a crucial role in the execution of works under the NREGS which aims at enhancing livelihood security of rural households and prioritises sustainable development.

---

Speaking to Telangana Today, MGNREGS Technical Assistants Association State general secretary LP Ramaiah informed that the Congress party before coming to power had assured the staff to implement a pay scale. Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Seethakka at a meeting in Adilabad district on February 2 had also announced implementation of a pay scale for the NREGS contractual staff. Accordingly the Panchayat Raj department put up a file, moved it to the Finance department for approval and Special Chief Secretary (Finance) K Ramakrishna Rao cleared the file prior to the Lok Sabha polls. But a government order implementing the pay scale could not be released in view of the poll code. When the association leaders met the Minister recently in Hyderabad, she told them that the pay scale would be implemented after August 15.

However, when the association leaders met Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who is the Finance Minister, in February and on July 9 requesting implementation of the pay scale forthwith, he maintained a Cabinet sub-committee would be set up to look into the matter. He told the leaders that a decision on the issue would be taken based on the sub-committee report.

Ramaiah claimed that when the association leaders met Seethakka, in contrast to what the Deputy Chief Minister said, had stated that there was no sub-committee to look into the issue of implementing the pay scale. There seems to be a serious lack of coordination among the Ministers or they want to drag on the issue, he complained.

There are as many as 4, 000 NREGS contractual employees working in Telangana. The association is planning to lay a siege to the office of Commissioner of Rural Development on July 23 in support of their demand. The employees are also asking for a post retirement benefit of Rs.5 lakh like the Rs.2 lakh retirement benefit the government announced for Anganwadi workers.EOM