MGNREGA Employees Call For Pen Down Strike; Will Continue If Demands Not Fulfilled
Umran Hussain
Srinagar, 26 May, TKR: After Technical Assistants, other employees working under the central flagship scheme including GRS, MIS operators and Programme Officers have called for one day pen down strike for immediate redressal of their demands.
The contractual employees working under Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) have been demanding hike in their wages and subsequent absorption in the Rural Development Department.
“We have been working in the department since the inception of the scheme in Jammu and Kashmir, we lost all other opportunities because of repeated assurances by the previous goverment’s. Let alone absorption in the department, we are not even paid a handsome salary.” Said Khan Aijaz, leader of MGNREGA association.
“We will continue our peaceful protests if our demands are not fulfilled this time around. We have some specific genuine demands like, salary hike and subsequent absorption in the department against hundreds of vacant posts which the goverment is planning to advertise through JKSSB.” Said Khan.
“We have gained experience, we have sacrificed the precious time of our life, our career and our degrees for the sake of helping goverment in uplifting the rural areas, now we feel goverment should return some favours to us as we have nowhere to go now. All of us have crossed the upper age limit.” Said Imtiyaz, working as a GRS in the department.
