NREGA supervisors threaten to call for a state-wide agitation
Today, around 45,000 supervisors monitoring 100 days’ jobs under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005, across Bengal brought out a protest procession as a part of their ‘Nabanna March’ programme from Ram Lila Park urging the government to implement their chartered of demands like permanent employment in the
MGNREGA scheme, PF and health insurance, no sudden retrenchment of any supervisors, payment of their contractual wages to the job card holders soon after the completion of the 100 days’ jobs in respective areas etc.
They agitating supervisors under the banner of MGNREGA Supervisor Association have threatened to call for statewide agitation if the government sits idle on their demands.
“In 2016, the state government had extended the service period of supervisors in the scheme to 60 years of age. Unfortunately, local district administrations are retrenching them ignoring the government order. This must be taken into account by the government,” said Mr Faruque Ahamed, General Secretary of the All India Naba Chetana, social platform that is fight for these social issues.
“Today, we organised the ‘Nabanna March’ programme to submit a memorandum to the chief minister. But police prevented us from doing so when our rally reached Rani Rashmoni Avenue. We have submitted a letter of demands to the chief minister through police and hope that the government will consider our problems otherwise we will go for larger movements,” said Md Kamaruzzaman, Chairman of the association.