With the shortage of labourers, the agriculture activities have come down drastically. Many farmers have left their field unused. To implement MGNREGS, the district is not getting enough labourers. When work worth crores are undertaken elsewhere in the state under MGNREGS, in Udupi work worth only lakh is taken up.
“Labourers from North Karnataka, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Bagalkote, Badami, Mudhola, Raichur migrate to Udupi and take up the work in construction, road and in fields. No labourers are ready to come forward work under MGNREGS for a meager wage. Owing to shortage of laborers, we are not able to implement MGNREGS effectively in the district,” said Udupi Taluk Panchayat EO D Manjunathaiah to Deccan Herald.
Even the Zilla Panchayat, in its monthly meeting had discussed in length on the shortage of labourers to take up work under MGNREGS.
“In Udupi labourers charge Rs 200 per day. Under MGNREGS, the labourers are given Rs 125. If the labourers go for construction activities, then they get about Rs 500 per day. No one is coming forward to take up the work under MGNREGS,” say officials.
Technical assistants
The government had passed an order to outsource a technical assistant to look into the implementation of the projects under MGNREGS for every four gram panchayats and another technical assistant to look into the work related to agriculture, horticulture, forest, watershed departments at the taluk –level. Initially, they were paid Rs 3,000 per month. However, later it was increased to Rs 8,000 and now it is Rs 10,000 per month. In reality, no technical assistant can be outsourced in Udupi district. To outsource Technical Assistant, work worth Rs six to eight crore must have been implemented under MGNREGS. However, here in Udupi we have taken up work worth lakhs,” said officials.
