 Early Times Report
JAMMU, Feb 5: Lok Adhikaar Mission JK has demanded to increase honorarium of MGNREGA supporting staff.
Addressing a press conference here today, Chairman, Lok Adhikar Mission, Dr. Amar Chand Bhagat said that NREGA supporting staff comprises of Grameen Rozgar Sewaks (GRSs), Program Officers, Technical Assistants, MIS Operators, Administrative Assistants & Account Assistants. Reportedly the wages paid to them are even are below the Minimum Wage Act. For example, among the supporting staff, one cadre is GRS and in the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir, honorarium of GRS was initially Rs 2000 only, during the year 2009-10, which after 3 to 4 months was raised to Rs 4500 per month and then again raised to Rs 6806 per month during the year 2016-17 or so, which is at present being paid to them and the same comes to Rs 226 per day which is too less to meet the even routine daily expenses of a family.
He further said that the number of such supporting staff of MGNREGA in the UT of Jammu & Kashmir, at present, is reportedly 4500 and therefore 4500 families are dependent on them, which means a population of about 20,000.
Dr Bhagat also told that in the state of Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tripura and UT of Puducherry local governments have had increased their honorarium and/ or MGNREGA supporting staff has been regularized. Their wages have been increased many times and the same pattern may also be adopted in the UT of Jammu & Kashmir.
He appealed to the LG administration of J&K UT to increase their honorarium as stated above besides considering their regularization at the pattern of some states and Union Territories of the country, as stated above. |
