Punjab CM seeks financial assistance from Centre to clear pending MGNREGA liabilities

Amid the coronavirus lockdown, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has sought financial assistance from the Central government to clear all pending liabilities under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme.

In a letter to Union Minister of Rural Development and Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar, Captain Amarinder Singh raised the issue of pending wage liabilities of MGNREGA workers in Punjab and said that they will not be able to sustain their families during the pan-India lockdown without their daily wages and lack of fresh employment opportunities.

"Captain Amarinder Singh apprised the Union Minister that as on March 24, 2020, wage liabilities of Rs 84 crore were pending for approximately 1.30 lakh workers in the state," an official statement said on Thursday.

Singh said that the release of funds would also help the state handle the present difficult situation to some extent.

"Expressing concern over the precarious situation, the Chief Minister urged the Union Minister to immediately release the pending wage liabilities without any further delay, to provide the much-needed relief to the beneficiaries for the subsistence of their families," the statement said.

"As on March 24, 2020, the state has generated 230 lakh person-days, with an additional liability of Rs 120 crore pending against payment for materials. He underlined the need for release of sufficient funds to meet all these liabilities at the earliest," it added.