Mamata's new demand: Increase MGNREGA wages to Rs 200

Kolkata: The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government will soon move the central government to increase Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) wages to Rs 200 from Rs 136.

Unhappy with the central government hiking the wage for the 100-day rural job guarantee programme from Rs 130 to Rs 136 in the state, West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress is planning to take up the issue with New Delhi.

“We will soon demand that the central government raise the wages under MGNREGA to Rs 200 from Rs 136,” state Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Subrata Mukherjee told IANS.

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“I am gong to Delhi and shall try to meet (union Rural Development Minister) Jairam Ramesh. I shall then urge him to increase the wages,” he stated.

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He said New Delhi had informed the state government that it had taken a decision to hike wages from Rs 130 to Rs 136.

The state government earlier said it was hopeful of introducing from April this year biometric job cards for beneficiaries of MGNREGA to provide them early payment for working under the project.

Mukherjee claimed the biometric cards for MGNREGA would be the first of its kind in the country.

“The government has already floated tenders for the cards,” he had informed.

IANS