Start MGNREGS works at once

Khammam: All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU) district general secretary Machha Venkateshwarlu demanded the government to start the works under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) immediately by increasing the wages to Rs 300. He also demanded fair selection of beneficiaries for double bedroom houses.

A district committee meeting of AIAWU was held at the district office at NSP Camp here on Monday under the leadership of district president V Srinivas Rao. Addressing the meeting, Venkateshwarlu alleged that the funds under MGNREGS became useless in the district due to the negligence of the officials in allotting works to people. The officials were not allotting works to people who were asking and not taking any steps to carry on the ongoing works properly.

About Rs 30 crores of wages were pending in the district, he added. AIAWU leader alleged that the officials have submitted proposals to the government by selecting eight mandals only and higher officials also trying to reduce the extent of area of works to be carried. He said the government must come out with perfect planning in identifying the real beneficiaries for the double bedroom houses.

Real beneficiaries should be identified by conducting grama sabha in every village, he suggested. He demanded to allow houses to poor people in Khammam town, who were already identified as the beneficiaries. AIAWU district leaders K Narasaiah, A Kanakaiah, K Pullaiah, D Yakaiah, G Swamy, T Krishna, P Singaiah, J Srinivas, G Ratnamma, Vinoda and J Krishna were present along with others.