Rural workers in Tamil Nadu have received only 10 days of employment under the new VB-G RAM G scheme.
CPI(ML) state-level functionary C Mathivanan said the party had announced a protest on Sept 30, demanding work under the scheme. “After we announced the protest, officials generated man-days for around 100 workers in Kachaikattu and Viralipatti panchayats in Vadipatti block of Madurai district. This is the situation in almost all of TN’s 12,480-odd panchayats, except in Kallakurichi district, where the number of works generated is relatively high. No work was generated in 43 panchayats. “On Monday, we generated more than 12 lakh man-days across the state. The number will gradually increase and touch the state’s average of 50 man-days per household by the end of this fiscal year,” the official said.
“If the trend continues, workers may get fewer than 30 days of employment in a year, a fraction of the 150 days promised under Vetri 150,” said a source in the department of rural development and panchayat raj. “I have been waiting for work under the scheme for the last four weeks,” said Meena of Peruthur village in Prathamaramapuram panchayat in Nagapattinam district. Many depend on this scheme for their livelihood,” he said. An official in the rural development and panchayat raj department said the wages would be paid soon. A senior official said there are “some teething problems” in implementing the scheme, which was revamped with a new set of rules.
Before that, work was provided to only two or three people. Adding to their woes, workers in several panchayats have not been paid for three to four weeks.