IMPHAL, February 9: The Ucheckon Nongchup Gram Panchayat today called a press conference at the Macha Leima Micro Finance Project office demanding that remuneration to MNREGS job card holders for the non-working days should be made available under the scheme.
Speaking at the press conference, Ucheckon GP member Konsam Bijaya said MNREGS job card holders of the Gram Panchayat had also received their remuneration for the non-working days recently on January 26, 2013 after a long time during which they had to take the issue to the court.
She said job card holders should avail the remunerations provided under the scheme for the non-working days of a year which the central government has provided for their welfare only.
She said, members of the GP had submitted a memorandum to the Panchayat and Pradhan to provide employment to the people of the GP in November 2010.
Their demand was however turned down by the Pradhan and the Panchayat saying that there is no job available, she said.
She added that following the development, the members made a demand for remuneration of the non-working days to the MNREGS job card holders, which was also turned down.
On January 15 2011, 14 complainants filed a complaint with the Imphal East Ombudsman regarding the non-payment of remuneration by the Panchayat and the Pradhan for the non-working days.
Even after a direction from the Imphal East Ombudsman to distribute the remunerations to the job card holders for the no-working days also, the Panchayat and Pradhan failed to comply with the directions which coerced the complainants in collaboration with the Human Rights Law network to file a case with the Gauhati High Court on the issue.
The beneficiaries receive their remuneration only on January 26, 2013, she added.