MGNREGA contract workers in Karnataka unpaid for last four months: Report
Officials cite central government’s failure to release funds
Gadag: Outsourced employees of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in Karnataka have not received their salaries for the past four months, with many citing technical issues related to new software not being integrated with the state's Khajane II (K2) system, which manages state government employee payments.
The state has 3,657 outsourced staff working under the scheme, including 27 disaster management officials, 27 district account managers, 202 technical coordinators, and others. These workers have not been paid since July and have also gone without travel and dearness allowances for the past 10 months, as reported by The New Indian Express.
However, officials have pointed out that the delay in payments is due to the central government’s failure to release the necessary funds for MGNREGA.
“We have sorted out all technical glitches, but now funds have not been released by the Central government,” TNIE quoted an official from the Gadag zilla panchayat as saying.
The staff, whose salaries range from Rs 10,000 to Rs 45,000, have voiced growing concerns about their financial struggles. One worker shared that he has no money to pay for the bus fare to reach the village to attend to his work, while others are struggling to pay for their children’s school fees and basic family expenses.
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Deepfakes significant threat to democracy: President Murmu
New Delhi (PTI): President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said deepfake and misinformation were becoming significant threats to democracy and social harmony, and urged lawmakers to deliberate on this grave issue.
In her address to both Houses of Parliament, she said in view of the dangers arising due to misuse of AI, it is imperative to be serious on this issue.
"Deepfake, misinformation, and fake content are becoming significant threats to democracy, social harmony, and public trust. It is essential that all of you deliberate on this grave issue," the President said.
She called for cultivating innovation at the classroom level, and made a strong pitch for early exposure to science, technology and creative problem-solving in schools.
"Today, technology is evolving rapidly. As a result of this, the nature of jobs is also changing at a fast pace. Therefore, the National Education Policy has been designed to meet the needs of both, the present and the future," the President said.
She said right at the school level, children are being nurtured to have a mindset for technology and innovation.
"The Atal Innovation Mission is playing an effective role in this. So far, over one crore students across the country have benefitted from Atal Tinkering Labs," the President said, adding that the culture of research and development is also being promoted through Anusandhan National Research Foundation.
Murmu said one thousand ITIs were being made future-ready for upgrading the ITI network in the country.
"On this account, Rs 60,000 crore is being spent under the PM Setu Scheme. My government is preparing an industry-ready workforce for modern technology. So far, 60 thousand youth have been trained for the semiconductor industry. Ten lakh youth are being trained in the field of Artificial Intelligence," the President said.
