Karnataka   

Farmers demand jobs under NREGS

Raichur: A group of villagers from Merchethal village of Raichur taluk staged a dharna in front of the Craft Hall here on Friday when a general body meeting of the zilla panchayat was in progress. They were protesting against the zilla panchayat for its failure to employ identified beneficiaries under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).

The activists, including women, who came from the Merchethal, sat in dharna in front of the Craft Hall demanding the zilla panchayat to implement the NREGS in their village.

They decided to continue their dharna until the zilla panchayat initiated action to implement the scheme in their village.

Later, zilla panchayat chief executive officer N.V. Prasad came out of the meeting and heard the problems of the protesters.

Yusuf Ali, who led the agitation, said farm workers and small farmers needed jobs because agricultural operations had been hit for want of rains. Eighty two affected families in the village had submitted applications seeking jobs under the scheme. But the implementation of the NREGS had been suspended in the village since April.

The situation had forced the people to migrate towards cities in search of employment.

He said the officials at the taluk and gram panchayats did not respond even as the beneficiaries had pleaded with them to revive the scheme.

The zilla panchayat had to release wages to all the beneficiaries in the village who had registered their names four months ago.

The people had decided to intensify their agitation if action was not taken in this regard, Mr. Ali said.

The protesters ended their agitation when Mr.Prasad assured them that the scheme would be implemented in the village from Saturday.

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