Job scheme: Centre may have to pay damages

MGNREGS workers can stake claim to compensation if there is delay in payment of wages

The Centre will have to compensate for the delay in disbursing wages to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers in the State.

Scores of workers who availed themselves of jobs under the scheme are being forced to cool their heels and local bodies that engaged them to do various jobs are turning to be the target of their ire.

Stipulation

The Centre has neither cleared the ₹630.60-crore wage arrears due to the State since December last nor included Kerala on the list of States offered an additional assistance in April.

As per rules, the Centre bears the wage component of the scheme and it is bound to disburse it within 15 days on engaging a worker. On failing to honour the commitment, a worker could stake claim for the compensation.

Though no serious attempt had been made so far to wrest the compensation, the alleged indifference of the Centre in managing the scheme and the dwindling budget allocation for that are likely to prompt the workers’ organisations to direct their members to demand delay compensation from the Centre.

Meanwhile, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders as well as those associated with the Centre had placed the onus on the State government saying that the lapse in furnishing the fund utilisation certificate in time was the main reason for the delay in sanctioning funds.

But Local Administration Department sources told The Hindu here that the bank account and Aadhaar number of the beneficiaries had been linked to the electronic payment mechanism of the Centre.

Hence, there were no hitches in releasing funds to the accounts of beneficiaries.

‘Lame excuse’

This was only a lame excuse for delaying the payment, sources said.

As per provisions of the scheme, the entire funds allotted to a State could be expended for paying wages. Kerala, in line with the norms and also with a view to giving maximum advantage to the workers, spends about 92% for wages and the rest for material procurement.

Complaints

But in the wake of complaints that permanent assets are not being created in the State under the scheme, a decision has been made to restructure it by apportioning 70% for wages and 30% for material procurement. But unless the Centre took the lead in releasing the arrears, implementation of the scheme would be affected, sources said.