Misuse of govt rural scheme in UP

Moradabad, Jun 28: Authorities in Kundrika village have asked the job cardholders to stay away and instead hired children of impoverished families for the development of a new pond through the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NAREGA)

NAREGA aims at enhancing livelihood security of households in rural areas of the country by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment.

Job cardholders complain that they have also not received the full payment and the authorities are violating the rules framed by the government.

"Their are some people who are working at the site and they don't even have the job card and we people who have the job card, authorities have asked us not to come on work and there are so many children who are working like this," said Ramdeen, a labour Children are made to work on the wage of rupees 20 per day.

Mahaveer, Labour commissioner said "Labour department will investigate and if we find that children below 14 years of age are working then there is a civil liability of rupees 20,000 which the authorities have to pay and we will file the prosecution."

According to the Indian government data over 12 million children below the age of 14 are working as domestic servants, or in other jobs such as in stone quarries, embroidery units, mines, carpet-weaving units, tea stalls, restaurants and various hotels.

ANI