8,000 MGNREGA workers not paid, Goa govt has money for events not for poor: Congress

Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao on Tuesday attacked the state BJP government for failing to pay 8,000 MGNREGA workers, which includes 45 per cent Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes for the last five months, and said the government has money for events but not for the poor.

He said the administrative and financial bankruptcy of the BJP government once again stands exposed with almost 8,000 workers earning Rs 322 per day under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act have been not paid their rightful dues for the last five months.

“This is ‘Ant (end) of Antyodaya’ by the BJP Government,” he alleged.

Congress leader said that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant should immediately intervene to release all pending dues. “Government has no right to keep payments pending of hardworking workers who meet their needs with daily earnings,” Yuri Alemao said. 

“It is shocking that poor workers put in their sweat and blood to earn daily wages but the insensitive BJP government is just not bothered to pay their daily wages in time. The BJP government spends crores on events without any financial approvals but fails to pay poor workers,” he said.

“There are almost 8,000 active card holder workers in the state. Almost 42.45 per cent workers are from Scheduled Tribes while 2.48 per cent belong to Scheduled Caste. Is this the part of BJP government's strategy to harass ST and SC Community,” he questioned.

“It is mandatory for the government to provide minimum 100 days work to the registered MGNREGA workers. Unfortunately, many workers are not getting 100 days to work due to the failure of the BJP government to give timely approvals to various projects and works,” Alemao stated.

He said that the BJP government has a lot of money to spend on events but their treasury gets empty when it comes to helping the needy and poor.