<p>Unable to find work under the MGNREGA, a group of villagers here have started on the laborious task of cleaning a canal so that water reaches its tail-end.</p>.<p>About 70 labourers from Naugava village in Naraini tehsil have decided to do it for free – a “shramdaan” to give life again to land turning barren.</p>.<p>Authorities now want to pay them for the job they have taken upon themselves, but the villagers have turned down the offer.</p>.<p>They all say they could not find work under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.</p>.<p>Shyamlal, one of the workers, says a stretch of the 40-km-long canal between Guhala Kalan and Divli villages was not cleaned for years.</p>.<p>“Due to this, the fertile agriculture land was becoming barren. I was sitting idle since I did not get any job under the MGNREGA. Then I thought that I should clean the canal so that water reaches its tail-end and we are able to grow food grains to feed our children," he says.</p>.<p>Another labourer, Ramswaroop, says people from nearby villages have donated food to them, which is being cooked by women involved in the “sharmdaan”.</p>.<p>Gulabrani, Mamta, Sumitra and Rani are among the women taking care of the task. They have named their kitchen "Shramdaan Rasoi".</p>.<p>At present, 65-70 people are involved in the initiative, says Gulabrani.</p>.<p>"Till a few years ago, crops were irrigated by water from this canal. But for the past two to four years due to the non-cleaning of silt, there was a shortage of water," she says.</p>.<p>Sumitra, who is also cooking food with Gulabrani, says if every agriculture field gets water, crops can be produced and people will not have to “go to other places to earn a living”.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, the Executive Engineer of the Irrigation Department in Banda, Sharad Singh, said, "As we got news on Saturday of labourers doing the 'shramdaan', a departmental staffer was sent.”</p>.<p>“We spoke to them over the phone. Their work is praiseworthy. We offered to pay wages but they did not agree to it," he says.</p>
<p>Unable to find work under the MGNREGA, a group of villagers here have started on the laborious task of cleaning a canal so that water reaches its tail-end.</p>.<p>About 70 labourers from Naugava village in Naraini tehsil have decided to do it for free – a “shramdaan” to give life again to land turning barren.</p>.<p>Authorities now want to pay them for the job they have taken upon themselves, but the villagers have turned down the offer.</p>.<p>They all say they could not find work under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.</p>.<p>Shyamlal, one of the workers, says a stretch of the 40-km-long canal between Guhala Kalan and Divli villages was not cleaned for years.</p>.<p>“Due to this, the fertile agriculture land was becoming barren. I was sitting idle since I did not get any job under the MGNREGA. Then I thought that I should clean the canal so that water reaches its tail-end and we are able to grow food grains to feed our children," he says.</p>.<p>Another labourer, Ramswaroop, says people from nearby villages have donated food to them, which is being cooked by women involved in the “sharmdaan”.</p>.<p>Gulabrani, Mamta, Sumitra and Rani are among the women taking care of the task. They have named their kitchen "Shramdaan Rasoi".</p>.<p>At present, 65-70 people are involved in the initiative, says Gulabrani.</p>.<p>"Till a few years ago, crops were irrigated by water from this canal. But for the past two to four years due to the non-cleaning of silt, there was a shortage of water," she says.</p>.<p>Sumitra, who is also cooking food with Gulabrani, says if every agriculture field gets water, crops can be produced and people will not have to “go to other places to earn a living”.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, the Executive Engineer of the Irrigation Department in Banda, Sharad Singh, said, "As we got news on Saturday of labourers doing the 'shramdaan', a departmental staffer was sent.”</p>.<p>“We spoke to them over the phone. Their work is praiseworthy. We offered to pay wages but they did not agree to it," he says.</p>