As states focus on the lakhs of labourers returning to villages from cities fearing hunger amid the lockdown to fight the coronavirus, MGNREGA workers in rural India say they are already on the verge of starvation. It’s been eight days since the lockdown, and these labourers have not yet been paid the wages for February.

The MGNREGA scheme aims to guarantee employment for people in rural India. There are 13.62 crore job card holders under MGNREGA in the country, out of which 8.17 crore job card holders are active.

“Labourers who worked under MGNREGA in our village have been surviving on boiled potatoes over the last four days. It deeply upsets me,” said Jitendra Paswan, the pradhan of Chitoria gram panchayat in Bihar. “We, the people of the village, are trying to provide them ration, but the situation is scary.”

All the farmers in the gram panchayat in Mansahi block are small and most of them grow potatoes. On the seventh day of the lockdown, Jitendra told Gaon Connection over phone: “Everything is shut down, work in the fields, through which these labourers could have earned a little, has stopped. Even if someone tries to work, they face police harassment. These people are on the verge of starvation, these labourers are not getting any ration from the government shop.”

The Centre announced two decisions for MGNREGA workers during the time of lockdown, but both are being questioned.

The government announced an amount of Rs 4,431 crore under MGNREGA to pay the outstanding wages of workers as well as the outstanding material cost till April 10 (four days before the end of the lockdown period on April 14).

The other decision was to increase the national average wage rate of MGNREGA workers by Rs 20, to come into effect from April 1. But the question is, of what use will the increased wages be to workers when there is no work during the lockdown.

In the Mamuretti village of Kotkunde post in Karnataka’s Raipur district, about 700 people work under MGNREGA and earn their daily subsistence. They have not received their wage since January.

“Since January, we have not been given wages, we are not allowed even to get out of the house whereas at home, rice and flour have finished, nothing is found in the ration shop, we are in great distress,” said Nagappa Sagamkunta, MGNREGA workers, Mamuretti village, Raipur district, Karnataka

“We have not been paid our wages since January. The rice and flour stock at home has finished. We are not allowed to get out of the house due to the lockdown. There is nothing in the ration shop. We are in great distress,” Nagappa Sagamkunta, a MGNREGA worker in the village, said on phone.

“I am left with only Rs 1,500. What will we eat once it is also spent? It is already April 1 and we still haven’t got any ration (announced by the government in the package to alleviate rural distress during the lockdown),” said Nagappa.

MGNREGA workers in Chhattisgarh are also facing hunger. They say they do not have any money and the work under MGNREGA has also stopped due to the lockdown.

Harilal Lakra, the pradhan of Losanga gram panchayat in Lakhanpur block of Surguja district, said: “MGNREGA work in the village has come to a complete halt, although there was some work in March. The workers are yet to receive their wages for February. They should have at least been paid their wages by the government before the lockdown.”

On the ration through PDS, he said: “I received from the administration Rs.5000 and one quintal of rice just yesterday (the seventh day of the lockdown) to help the destitute and the poor in the village. Now, in my village, about 2,000 people are very poor and most of them are dependent on MGNREGA and farm wages. We are trying to help these poor, but it is to be seen how many difficulties these people will have to face by April 14 (when the 21-day lockdown is to end).”

In fact, MGNREGA, the scheme guaranteeing employment to the people of rural India, is already running into debts. In many states of the country, workers have not received wages for several months and with the announcement of a 21-day nationwide lockdown, are facing even bigger trouble.

As per NREGA Sangaharsh Morcha, am organisation working for MGNREGA workers in the country, the outstanding payment under the scheme till March 28, 2020, was Rs 15,700 crore — outstanding wages of Rs 6,000 crore and outstanding towards material payment of Rs 9,700 crore. The Rs 4,431 crore the central government released to clear the wage dues is not sufficient, it said.

Debmallya Nandi, associated with the morcha in Jharkhand, told Gaon Connection: “The funds released by the central government in the name of relief for MGNREGA workers is not going to benefit them much during the lockdown, as it is not specified how much out of the Rs 4,431 crore will be paid to the labourers after payment of material cost. Rs 6,000 crore is already due as wages. Secondly, the money is to be given by April 10, but, by that time, just four days of the lockdown will be remaining.”

He said: “Also, only 6.4 per cent of households have been able to get 100 days of employment in the financial year that just ended. When compared to the previous year, it has come down by 32 per cent. There are many labourers who have not been able to get a job and they do not even qualify for this relief money. It is a shame that in times of such a crisis, the government is flaunting such figures as relief for MGNREGA workers. “

In Maharashtra, too, the condition of MGNREGA workers is not good.

“The government had announced ration, but so far, we have not got any. We, the farmers here, are selling our produce to the people within the village and sustaining ourselves. Whether labourers or the farmers, all are in great difficulty, ” said Sheikh Malang, Gram Rozgar Sahayak, Taraibari Gram Panchayat, Maharashtra

Sheikh Malang, a village employment assistant in MGNREGA at Taraibari gram panchayat in Nanded district, said: “Here, MGNREGA workers have not received wages since January. They were facing starvation, but now the villagers are providing rations to them following a request from them. But the situation is very bad. Many employment assistants like me have also not received money since January.”

On the ration supply from the local government PDS shop, Malang said: “The government has announced additional free ration, but, so far, we have not got any. We, the farmers here, are selling our produce to people within the village and sustaining ourselves. Whether labourers or farmers, all are in great difficulty.”

In Uttar Pradesh, the country’s largest state, the Yogi Adityanath government took a special initiative during the lockdown for MGNREGA workers and released outstanding wages of Rs 611 crore to the accounts of 27.5 lakh workers on March 30 (the sixth day of the lockdown) so that their lives are not affected due to the coronavirus outbreak. In addition, 1.65 crore households in the state will also get free food grains.

Rambeti, a MGNREGA worker who resides in Allipur village of Pistieth block in Sitapur district in the state, said: “The government has cleared the wages of the labourers who worked till February; 3-4 panchayats in my area have also received the money. But there are many who did not get work under MGNREGA. They are still empty-handed and they have not got any money. The government should help them too in times of such a crisis.”

The West Bengal government has also taken a major decision to provide free ration to labourers and the poorer sections. The Mamata Banerjee government has announced free wheat and rice for six months in the state that will benefit 7.5 crore people.

“The state government here has at least thought about the people and announced free ration for six months for the poor and labourers like us,” Sandeep Singha, a MGNREGA labourer from Dhanhal village of Danta block in Medinipur district of West Bengal, said. “We do not have any work now, but the government is making arrangements to feed the needy.”