Kerala: Govt urges Centre to revoke decision limiting work under MGNREGA

The Left government in Kerala has urged the Centre to revoke its decision to limit the simultaneous works under the MGNREGA scheme, saying it would create huge setback in the rural economy which was trying to come out of the crisis inflicted by COVID.

Slamming the Centre over the move, state LSGD minister M V Govindan said the decision was taken without considering the circumstances prevailing in Kerala which tops among states in the implementation of the scheme.

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It would not only plunge the laborer’s into a deep crisis but also impact the implementation of the scheme in the southern state, he noted. The state government already sent a letter to the union rural development ministry conveying its concerns regarding the new decision.

“The Centre’s decision is a huge setback to the local financial sector which is trying to come out of the crisis caused by Covid-19. The Centre should revoke its decision which pushes the laborer’s into a crisis,” the minister said in a statement. The order that only 20 works can be allowed simultaneously would create issues in the labor sector as well as the local financial sector, he pointed out.

“The decision is also against the basic principles of MGNREGA that 100 work days should be ensured to all families who demand for it,” he said. Pointing out that the structure of village panchayats in Kerala and northern states is quite different, he said even a single ward in Kerala may comprise the same population of a panchayat in other states.

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The village panchayats in Kerala comprise 13 to 23 such wards and the state meets the immense labor demand by implementing simultaneous works. Though the state had demanded ten crore work days this year, only six crore days had been allotted by the Centre, he said. The state has already completed 2,43,53,000 work days within the first four months of the financial year, Govindan added.

(With inputs from agencies)