MGNREGA workers stage protest for wage hike

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 20

The MGNREGA Workers’ Union staged a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office on Wednesday. They have been demanding a hike in their wages besides work for 250 days in a year. Currently, they are offered at least 100-day work in a year.

The protesters submitted a memorandum of their demands to the office.

Sher Singh, state president of the union, said, “The Centre has reduced the budget for MGNREGA and the state government often fails to spend the allocated funds.” He said the MGNREGA workers should be paid Rs 600 per day as it was the need of the hour keeping in view the inflation.

Another association leader, Gurcharan Singh, said the MGNREGA workers should be given all the facilities which are already being given to construction workers. He said that they should also be brought under the ambit of facilities available for organised sectors.