New Delhi: A strong demand to suspend rural
job guarantee scheme MNREGA during peak agriculture season was
made in the Rajya Sabha Wednesday with some members contending
that the programme has led to labour shortage in farm sector.
Participating in a short duration discussion on agrarian
crisis, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu and Ram Gopal Yadav
(SP) said the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee scheme has led to scarcity of farm labour.
"MNREGA, during peak agriculture season, has resulted in
labour problems and its implementation should be stopped
during that period," Naidu said.
Noting that the scheme is misused, Yadav said labourers
are asked to sign payment vouchers for Rs 120 a day whereas
they are paid Rs 40 a day but without doing any work.
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has sent a letter to
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh suggesting that at least three
months in a year should be considered an off-duration for
MNREGA so that farm labourers are available for agricultural
operations. However, the Rural Development Ministry was
opposed to the idea.
MNREGA provides a legal guarantee for 100 days of
employment in every financial year to adult members of any
rural household willing to do public work-related unskilled
manual work at the statutory minimum wage of 120 per day.
PTI
