TN allotted only four districts under NREGS: Association

Chennai, Mar 10 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Farmers Employees' Association today said the Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram in his recent budget had allotted only four districts in Tamil Nadu under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) implemented last year.

In a statement here the State General Secretary of the Association R Muttarasan said though Mr Chidambaram in the budget had allotted 120 districts all over India for one hundred days work in a year for unemployed people in the villages under the NREGS, Tamil Nadu was allotted only Tirunelveli, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Karur districts.

Mr Muttarasan regretted that drought affected villages like Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Ramanathapuram, Perambalur and Vellore were not considered under the NREGS in the budget, though Villupuram, Cuddalore, Thiruvannamalai, Nagapattinam, Dindugal and Sivagangai were allotted in the first phase last year.

He alleged the Government norms and regulations were not followed under the NREGS. The labourers wages were paid, based on the measurement continuously, which is grossly unfair and illegal, he added.

He said unless the representatives of political parties and farmers employees association, among others, join together and coordinate with the formation of committees at districts level, illegal measures cannot be averted.

The Centre and State Governments must take steps to ameliorate the grievances of workers, the statement added.

UNI