With the government failing to clear wage arrears of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers, normal life in the tribal regions of Palakkad, especially Attappady and Parambikulam, remains affected.
Wages have not been paid since December last year and most tribal parents are struggling to meet the needs of their children in the school reopening time.
“Beneficiaries of the scheme in the State had to get a Union government allocation of ₹2,438.62 crore in the last fiscal. However, the State received hardly ₹1,702.62 crore so far. This has created an unprecedented crisis in the tribal regions of Palakkad district. The scheme was the last hope for most tribalpeople whose land holdings have been alienated,” points out Rajendra Prasad of tribal voluntary organisation Thambu.
School reopening
“Most of tribal children of Parambikulam study in various model residential schools located outside the forest region. They require new uniforms, bags, and other materials when the schools reopen next week. Most families are penniless and struggling hard to survive,” said V. Babu, a tribal resident of Sungam colony in Parambikulam.
Wage arrears to the tune of ₹25 lakh is pending for tribals of Parambikulam alone and ₹80 lakh for those in Attappady.
“Palakkad is home to 11 different tribal ethnic groups. Ninety percent of tribal families are now dependent on the scheme. All the 556 tribal families living within the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve are beneficiaries of the scheme. They have no other source of income with no agricultural activity permitted inside the reserve,” says Muthalamada-based activist K.G. Kannadas.
Additional pay
As per the MGNREGS Act, those who get jobs more than 5-km away from their houses are eligible for 10% additional wages. But even that stipulation is not being met in the tribal regions of Palakkad.
Job card renewal
In certain tribal colonies, officials are not taking any steps to renew the expired job cards. Those needing fresh enrolment also face crisis.
“Though the MGNREGS ensures 100 days of job to each beneficiary, tribalpeople in Palakkad are getting jobs far below the State average of 47 days,” said K.A. Ramu, tribal activist. In case of Parambikulam, there is no bank facility within the forests.
Beneficiaries of the job scheme have to travel up to 40 km to Pollachi in Tamil Nadu to withdraw the money. “When arrears are cleared, forest-dwelling communities should get preference. They must also be provided with compensation for the continuing delay,” said Rajendra Prasad.
