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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Bagalkot: Siddaramaiah made false promises to farmers, alleges B.Y. Vijayendra
Bagalkot: BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra on Tuesday accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of making false promises to farmers affected by the raising of the Almatti dam height, and sought clarity on compensation and fund allocation, The New Indian Express reported.
Addressing media persons while campaigning for the bypolls in Bagalkot city, Vijayendra questioned the government’s announcement of convening a special cabinet session to address farmers’ issues.
“How much funds have actually been released? The government should explain the status of the Upper Krishna Project,” he said.
He further said that the government had, around four months ago, promised compensation of Rs 40 lakh per acre for irrigated land and Rs 30 lakh per acre for dry land to farmers likely to lose their land.
Vijayendra demanded that the government disclose how much of the promised compensation has been disbursed so far.
