In Sangrur, only 34 households got 100-day employment under MGNREGA, claims AAP

Sunam MLA Aman Arora has alleged that hundreds of labourers in his constituency had not been paid for their labour and they had been fleeced, with no entries on their job cards

Sangrur Even as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) promises to provide at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every rural household, in Sangrur only 34 households are getting 100 days employment in the district. Even by a conservative estimate, there are thousands of households in the district.

Of thousands of Sangrur households, only 34 have been given the mandatory 100-day wage employment, it was revealed at a meeting of the district development coordination and monitoring committee. (HT File)

The fact came to light during a meeting of the district development coordination and monitoring committee headed by Sangrur Member Parliament Bhagwant Mann in the presence of deputy commissioner Ramvir and sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) on Wednesday.

Committee chairman Mann said, “Officials informed me in the meeting that only 34 households are getting 100-day work under MGNREGA in Sangrur.”

Sunam Aam Aadmi Party MLA Aman Arora alleged that hundreds of workers of his constituency were not paid despite their labour. “I have visited Kunran village of Sunam 10 days back. I collected 70 job cards from a particular area of the village. There is no entry in any job card of the work. When there is no entry, labour has no record that they worked. I have a list of 77 people who have not received payment for their work,” said Arora.

“MGNREGA is a very good scheme, but its condition is bad not only in Sangrur, but across the state. It is unfortunate that Sangrur is a big district, but sarpanches provide employment to their favourites. I have warned officials to give benefits to actual beneficiaries only,” Mann said.