'Delay in paying wages to NREGA workers biggest problem'

The government today admitted that it was "unable to handle" the delay in payment of wages to NREGA workers but said efforts were on to tackle the situation.

"I think delay in payment (of wages to NREGA workers) is the biggest problem. We are unable to handle it," Union Minister for Rural Development CP Joshi said while addressing an editor's conference on the social sector, here.

There are reports that payments of a fortnight's wages were made with one or two month delay in many panchayats, he said.

"It certainly disappoints workers who do not get money on time for the work done by them," he said, adding the ministry has taken steps but nothing substantial has come yet in this regard.

"This is one of the important issue we have been trying to address. We have taken several steps to tackle the situation," he said. Joshi said his ministry has been in touch with the "stake holders" continuously to sort out this problem.

"In all our efforts so far, we emerged partly successful and partly we failed," he added.

Joshi said to sort out this problem accounts of the NREGA workers were opened with banks for payment of their wages, which was now happening through nationalised banks.

"However, we could not resolve the issue of issuing biometric cards to the NREGA workers for their payment through banks."