By Irudhaya Jothi SJ,

Konchowki, June 29, 2020: Nandan Ghatwar says he will never leave his village if he gets work with a daily of 600 rupees for 200 days in a year.

The 29-year-old resident of Bandiguri Tea Garden, under Barapatia Gram Panchayat of Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal had just returned from Kerala, southern India, where he worked in a hotel.

Asked why he traveled to Kerala, some 3,000 km southwest, Ghatwar said, “We were getting work under the NREGA [National Rural Employment Guarantee Act] before I went to Kerala, but it was very erratic and unpredictable. There was no other way of survival in the closed Tea gardens.”

Ghatwar was among hundreds of women and men of the tea garden who on June 29 joined the call for NREGA Adhikar Divas (NREGA Rights Day).

Sujata Chiti of Sampurna Nari Kalyan Sangatan (Organization for the holistic welfare of women), led a cycle rally in Bishnupur in South 24 Parganas to demand increased days and wages for NREGA.

Shyam Majhi, a construction laborer who returned to Jalpaiguri from Hyderabad said, “I was earning 300 rupees as a daily wager in Telengana which was not enough for me to run my family.” He too said he would remain in his village if he is assured of 200 days of work in his village in a year. “That is enough for me to survive,” the 28-year-old told Matters India.

Looking up at the empty sky he said, “Who would like to leave this Sonar Bangla (golden Bengal) if get job here.”

NREGA Sangarsh Morcha, a national platform of civil society organizations, has called for a national day of action that witnessed the participation of grassroots initiatives, people’s associations, unions, non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations across the Nation.

As the national lockdown imposed on March 25 to contain the spread of Covid19 has disrupted economic activities, leading to loss of livelihoods and unemployment across the country.

Shutting down of factories and worksites in urban areas has forced millions of workers to return to their villages some even around 2000 kilometers away.

The workers have to go through the unimaginable hardships to reach back to their hometowns; their stories are heart-wrenching.

Thanks to the scores of civil society members who tirelessly headed the movement in helping the guest workers reach their destiny.

Basanti Saren of Nari Mukti Chetana Sangatan in Burdwan District who headed the street corner along with around 30 guest labourers who retuned from different part of the country, is convincing in her demand to save these labourers from another exodus in distress.

A press note by the NREGA Sangarsh Morcha, West Bengal elucidates the reason for this national action day as; The lockdown coupled with an already ailing rural economy has increased the stakes of arguably the world’s largest public works program to address the declining rural household incomes.

Systemic denial of entitlements promised within the framework of MGNREGA, 2005 and reluctance of the central government in addressing structural issues, have also necessitated this call for a day of social action.

The Activists along with concerned citizens are sending out their demand to the Prime Minister Mr. Narendar Modi with signatures from the villagers.

Some groups decided to hold street corners, raising slogans, ‘Thali bhajao’(beating the empty plates), deputations to the local, block and district administrations with both national and local demands.

During this lockdown days, adhering to the prescribed physical distances and wearing face masks the women and youth have come out in big numbers.

NREGA activists and partners in Sixteen districts of West Bengal observed NREGA Adhikar Divas creatively.

Using the social media, the activists gone viral in whatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, instagram, YouTube with Photos, videos, banners and posters and play cards.

At present, the annual guarantee of work in NREGA is only 100 days per household. This is grossly inadequate, especially now when other employment opportunities have become so limited.

The demand is to increase to at least by 200 days per every eligible person, so that all could work in NREGA to meet the basic needs.

Since 2009 NREGA wages have been delinked from minimum wages. Since then, NREGA workers of many states have been working below the minimum wage.

While calculating the expenditure on basic necessities like nutritious food, health, education, the Seventh Pay Commission fixed a monthly minimum wage of Rs 18,000 per worker. Hence, the daily NREGA wages should also be at least Rs 600 per worker per day.

As per Section 16(1) of NREGA, schemes are to be implemented as per the recommendations of the Gram Panchayat, Gram Sabha and Ward Sabha.
But for the past several years, NREGA works have instead been implemented as per the priorities of the government.
A strict compliance of the existing rights to get unemployment allowance for not getting work, compensation for delays in wage payments, worksite facilities such as first aid, water, shade and child care facilities and redressal of complaints within a week
The Network demand includes allotment of sufficient budget to meet the demands of increased guarantee of work and revision of wages.