Members of the Andhra Pradesh chapter of the United Forum for RTI Campaign (UFRTI) have urged Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to initiate special measures for safety and welfare of the workers in the unorganised sector.
In a letter addressed to Mr. Jagan, they said distribution of soaps, along with other grocery items through Public Distribution System, availability of cooked meals, at least once daily, advance payment of social security pensions for May and June, payment of pending wages to the tune of ₹456 crore under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and payment of full wages to the registered MGNREGA workers in the lockdown period would go a long way in helping them deal with the current crisis.
They said steps such as door delivery of social security pensions, awareness on COVID-19 through village volunteers and distribution of PDS to the poor deserved wide appreciation. However, a few more initiatives by the government in favour of the workers would make life easy for them in this hour of crisis, they said.