MGNREGA workers receive "paltry" wage hike of Rs 17 amidst inflation

The compensation provided to labourers working under the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Scheme is inadequate. At present, they receive Rs 273 per day, and the government recently increased their pay by Rs 17.

The enhanced remuneration has been put into effect starting this month. However, with the escalation in inflation, labourers are questioning how they can sustain their families with a wage of only Rs 273.

Numerous projects are being carried out on a considerable scale under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the district. These initiatives are being implemented through the Gram Panchayat.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) involves tasks related to agriculture, forestry, and small-scale irrigation projects. Personal benefit projects are executed through the Gram Panchayat. It is now compulsory to maintain a 60:40 ratio between skilled and unskilled labour, which entails work completed using machinery and work performed by labourers, respectively.

To prevent any discrepancies in MGNREGA work, labourers’ salaries are now directly credited to their bank accounts. However, the recent increase of only Rs 17 in wages by the central government has aggravated the situation for the labourers.

If labourers work in the fields, they receive Rs 500. However, under MGNREGA, they are only compensated with a meagre amount of Rs 273. Given these circumstances, it is unlikely that anyone would want to work under MGNREGA. Thus, labourers have requested higher wages under MGNREGA.

The central government has increased the wages of MGNREGA labourers by only Rs 17. In view of the high inflation, this increase is seen as a mockery of the labourers. Hence, they are expected to get Rs 500 to Rs 600 per day.

Wage hike since 2018

Year	wages
2018	203
2019	206
2020	238
2022	256
2023	273