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Indian Labourers Left In Lurch With Less Than 5% Hike In NREGS Wages In 21 States, UTs
Writer: Ratika Rana
Her primary objective is to inform, promote, educate and cultivate readers through writing.
India, 30 March 2022 9:48 AM GMT
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Creatives : Ratika Rana
Her primary objective is to inform, promote, educate and cultivate readers through writing.
The lowest increase of 1.77 per cent is in Meghalaya where the new wage rate has been fixed at Rs 230 per day from the existing Rs 226 per day. The revised wages would be applicable from April 1, 2022.
The Union government has notified that the revised wage rates under the rural job guarantee programme NREGS for the financial year ending 2023 would be applicable from April 1, 2022. Out of 34 states and Union Territories, about 21 states received a wage hike of less than 5 per cent, while only ten states received more than 5 per cent wage hikes. Moreover, the wage rates of Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura remain unchanged for the upcoming financial year. The Ministry of Rural Development notified the wages under section (1) under Section 6 of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, will be effective from April 1.
Lowest And Highest Wage Revisions
A total of 31 states witnessed a wage hike, out of which the maximum hike of 7.14 per cent was recorded in Goa. Therefore, from Rs 294 per day in 2021-2022, the revised wages for the labourers stand at Rs 315 per day in 2022-23. On the other hand, the lowest revision was for the north-eastern state of Meghalaya, which received a meagre 1.77 per cent hike. Now the new wages in the state would be Rs 230 per day, from the previous Rs 226, The Indian Express reported. Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland are the other two states which recorded a less than 2 per cent hike in NREGS wages.
States With Over 5% Hike
Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Kerala, Karnataka and Goa are the ten states which have seen an increase of more than 5 per cent. In monetary terms, the wages have increased from Rs 4 to Rs 21 in 31 states. Every year, the Union government fixes the wage rates for unskilled manual labourers who work under the rural job guarantee programme under subsection (1) of Section 6 under the MGNREGA Act, 2005.
The low-wage revision is a blow to unskilled manual labour as the economy is recovering. The high inflation and increasing prices of essential commodities and fuel further add to the burden of one of the most vulnerable sections of society.
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