Karnataka - Raichur   

Release unemployment allowance: CPI(M-L)

Raichur: Members of the district unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) staged an indefinite fast here on Tuesday demanding that the Government release unemployment allowance to agricultural labourers and provide them employment by effectively implementing the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGREGA) in the district.

Activists from several villages, including Mittimalkapur, Devanpalli, Tuntapur and Malliabad, in Raichur taluk, who staged a dharna in front of the zilla panchayat office, have decided to continue their protest until their demands are met.

In a memorandum submitted to chief executive officer of the zilla panchayat Sameer Sukhla, president of the district unit of the party V.H. Master, who led the agitation, said that farmers and agricultural labourers in all the flood-hit villages in the taluk had been affected. Except for payment of some compensation, the Government had so far not initiated any action to release compensation to the affected farmers. It had failed to provide employment to agricultural labourers and other needy people. The situation had forced families to migrate to cities in search of employment, he said.

Mr. Master said that the Union Government had allowed the State to take up relief works under the MGREGA so as to generate employment in all the affected villages. But so far, the department concerned has not initiated any action to implement the scheme or any relief work which would provide employment.

He said that the zilla panchayat had claimed that it was implementing the MGREGA in the flood-hit villages in the taluk to provide employment.

But in fact, the department had suspended the relief work in some villages after implementing the scheme for one or two days. He demanded that the department release unemployment allowance to those beneficiaries who had registered their names with the gram panchayats concerned and take action to start relief work in all the affected villages under the scheme.

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Release unemployment allowance: CPI(M-L)

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