Opposition alleges MGNREGS dues pending for years, affecting farmers statewide.
Govt says Rs 2,800 crore pending; partial payments made, new SPARSH system introduced.
Protest escalates as Opposition stages Assembly walkout over delays.
Opposition Walks Out Of Maharashtra Assembly Over MGNREGS Payment Delays
Opposition MLAs staged a walkout in the Maharashtra Assembly, alleging prolonged delays in MGNREGS payments to farmers across the state. The delay of payment is due to new changes: says Maharashtra government.
Summary
Opposition members on Wednesday walked out of the Maharashtra Assembly, protesting delays in payments under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). They alleged that farmers in several parts of the state have not received dues for years.
The issue was raised during Question Hour by BJP MLA Narayan Kuche, who said nearly 600 wells were constructed under the scheme in his constituency, with farmers often taking loans to complete the work. While payments for unskilled labour have been cleared, dues for skilled work remain pending, he noted, adding that similar complaints have emerged from across the state. PTI reported.
MNREGS was renamed during the winter session of the parliament as Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin (VB-G-RAM-G) Nationwide protests were carried against it.
While speaking about Maharashtra, state minister Shambhuraj Desai informed the House that pending dues for skilled work stand at around Rs 2,800 crore, of which approximately Rs 1,035 crore has been released so far. He said a new system, ‘SPARSH’, introduced by the union government four months ago, requires the state to deposit its share after the union government releases funds, following which payments are credited jointly to beneficiaries. He assured that the system would stabilise and pending dues would be cleared within a month.
Congress MLA Nitin Raut called for immediate payment of dues, particularly in districts like Gadchiroli where the scheme is a crucial livelihood source. State Congress chief Nana Patole alleged that some farmers have been waiting for payments for up to four years and questioned whether interest would be paid on delayed dues. NCP MLA Prakash Solanke sought details of the total pending amount across the state.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bhaskar Jadhav criticised the government for delaying payments to poor farmers, calling it unjust. Accusing the government of neglect, Opposition members later staged a walkout in protest.
(With inputs from PTI)
Published At:
Tags