Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 16: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory, has once again expressed serious concern over the prolonged non-payment of wages and material component bills under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), urging the Government to prioritise the clearance of all pending dues in the upcoming budget.
BSP J&K UT president, Darshan Rana stated that labour payments and material bills under the scheme have remained unpaid since the financial year 2016-17, with arrears amounting to nearly Rs 400 crore, pushing thousands of rural workers, small contractors, and material suppliers into severe financial distress.
He said that MGNREGA was introduced to provide employment security, ensure timely wages, and strengthen rural livelihoods, but persistent delays in payments have defeated the very purpose of the scheme and shaken the confidence of beneficiaries across the Union Territory. Many labourers who depend on MGNREGA for their daily sustenance are struggling to meet basic household expenses, while local contractors and suppliers are facing mounting debts due to unpaid bills.
Rana informed that the BSP has repeatedly raised this issue through press statements, memorandums, and representations to the concerned departments, yet no concrete steps have been taken to resolve the crisis. He strongly appealed to the J&K Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, to personally intervene and ensure that the clearance of all pending MGNREGA labour payments and material component bills is included in the forthcoming budget so that long-overdue arrears can be released without further delay.
BSP leader also urged the Government to introduce a strict, time-bound payment mechanism to prevent such delays in the future and to protect the livelihood rights of rural workers. Rana emphasized that timely payments within 15 days are not only a legal obligation under MGNREGA but also a moral responsibility of the Government towards the poor and marginalized sections of society.
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