TNR Exclusive: No New Year celebrations for Chamba’s poor as MGNREGA workers await 2-month wages totalling ₹19 crore

The Newz Radar
CHAMBA: As the world prepares to celebrate New Year, there is a section of poor people in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh that has been battling disappointment. Comprising labourers working under MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), the section has not been paid their wages for the past two months.
According to sources, payments amounting to about Rs 19 crore are pending in Chamba district. As such, the scheme that was aimed at providing employment to the poor appears helpless in serving the basic purpose as the labourers await their hard-earned money. This is despite the fact that MGNREGA Act mandates payment of wages after every 15 days.
More so as Chamba is among the 112 aspirational districts — and only one from Himachal — identified by Niti Aayog from across the country for undertaking various developmental projects on priority. No one from the government is ready to speak on the matter while senior officials have instructed their subordinates to refrain from commenting.
There exists a 90-10 funding distribution ratio between the central and state governments in MGNREGA, implying 90 per cent of the funds allocated for this scheme would be contributed by the Centre while the state government would bear the remaining 10 per cent. MGNREGA workers in Chamba district, meanwhile, find themselves in a situation where no one can provide an answer to their queries as to when would they receive their pending wages. They are, therefore, forced to make repeated visits to government offices to enquire about their hard-earned money.
The labourers under MGNREGA include widows, middle-aged people and several youths who were successful in getting employment under the scheme near their homes.
When contacted, Chamba Deputy Commissioner Apoorv Devgan said he had no information on the matter. “Now that the matter has been brought to my notice, I will look into it,” said Devgan.