Rs 345 daily wage only on paper, TN VB-G RAM G workers get less
VB-G RAM G scheme may have raised Tamil Nadu ’s rural employment wage from `336 to `345 a day from July 1, but workers are taking home far less. The average wage paid to workers is `278 under the VB G RAM G, below the national average of `281, according to govt records. “Our block has 27 panchayats, but we have only three overseers. So, they fix the wage according to their whims, and most workers get only `275,” says a worker from Keelaiyur union in Nagapattinam district.
As a result, workers allege that their output was not being properly assessed, resulting in lower payments.
Wages under the scheme are linked to the quantum of work completed against prescribed norms, making accurate measurement by technical personnel crucial, according to the workers. Kerala has overseers and technicians in every panchayat, resulting in full wage to the workers,” says a former panchayat president from a southern district. The reason, workers say, is shortage of staff to assess the exact extent of work completed. However, there was a shortage of overseers at the field level. It is impossible for them to inspect works in every panchayat. An overseer in the Chengam block of Tiruvannamalai district admitted to the difficulty in assessing the quantity of work. “Authorities should appoint more technicians to assess the work.