Centre asks states to ensure timely payment to NREGA workers

Taking cognisance of reports about delay in payment of wages to NREGA workers, the Centre has asked states to remove the "bottlenecks" for ensuring timely payment to the beneficiaries.     

Ministry of Rural Development has asked chief secretaries of the states to inform about the remedial measures taken by them to ensure timely payment of wages to NREGA workers, an official said.     

"There has been reports from various quarters about delay in payment of wages to NREGA workers in various states. The Ministry has requested state governments to look into the issues and take measures to remove the bottlenecks for ensuring timely payment of wages," he said.     

The ministry has already enhanced the limit of allocation on administrative expenditure from four per cent to six per cent to ensure speedy distribution of wages and was in regular touch with the Ministry of Finance, the official added.     

As per the NREG Act, payment of wages to NREGA workers should be made within a fortnight of the work done and in case, it is delayed, the state government concerned will have to pay a compensation to the worker in accordance with Payment of Wages Act, 1936. 

In some cases, the payment of wages were delayed due to faulty handling of muster rolls and shortage of staff at block and Gram panchayat.Unlike past, NREGA workers are now being paid through their accounts in banks and post offices and some times the the time taken in completing the transactions also results in the delay of payment.