PIL seeking release of wages to MGNREGA workers
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 12: In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference seeking directions to release unpaid wages to around 23.5 lakh poor workers under MGNREGA, Division Bench of High Court comprising Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Mohan Lal has granted six weeks last opportunity to Union of India and J&K UT for filing counter affidavit failing which the petition will proceed in the absence of their response treating the averments to be true and correct.
The PIL highlights non-payment of wages to around 23.5 lakh out of which 15.43 lakh are active workers, who are the residents of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and had undertaken manual labour work under MGNREGA.
Despite the express provisions for disbursement of wages within a maximum prescribed period of 15 days, these children of lesser Gods and forsaken souls , had not been paid fully by the respondents and from the year 2015 till date a huge amount of around Rs 29108.96 lakh stands as liability against the respondents for the due payment of wages out of which an amount of Rs 19224.69 lakh is due against the payment of wages of unskilled workers and an amount of Rs 9884.27 lakh due on the payment of wages of skilled and semi-skilled workers.
The workers are living economically and socially distressed life during the most testing times of current pandemic due to non-payment of their due wages.
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