More than 60 women, who were employed under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), thronged the Collectorate here on Monday, alleging that they have not received their wages for nearly a year.
Led by village head S. Kesavan, the women from Kottakudi panchayat in Nainarkoil block said they had not only received the wages but had been denied work by the authorities. As the local Block Development Officer (BDO) could not give a convincing reply, they decided to bring it to the notice of the Collector.
For many women, especially aged widows, the 100 days of guaranteed employment in a year provided economic independence. As most of them were living on their own after abandoned by their children, they depended on the wages for the livelihood, they said.
S. Rakku (75), mother of five daughters and a son, is living separately and prefers to live independently without being a burden to the children.
Her son refused to take care of her after her husband’s death and she could not trouble her daughters after they were married. “How could I sit and eat at my ‘sambandi’s’ home,” she asks.
Similar is the case of M. Soundaram (70), a widow. After the marriage of her two daughters, she is living alone with her income from the 100-day employment.
For both the aged women, widow pension comes in handy. “But for the monthly pension, we will really struggle,” they say.
Official sources attributed an ‘online error’ for the delay in wage disbursal. All the beneficiaries had been registered online and the wages were yet to be credited into their bank accounts, the sources said. The beneficiaries have their accounts in Pandyan Grama Bank.
“Disbursal in 10 days”
The online status in respect of the beneficiaries indicated “under process” all these days and suddenly showed red light for “returned status,” the sources said adding “we have registered them again and the wages are expected to be credited into their accounts in the next 10 days.”
The beneficiaries could continue to work, but they refused, the sources added.
