The Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) members of the Manipur State Panchayat Parishad reiterated demand for releasing of full amount pending wages for FY 2021-22, amounting to Rs 506 crore.
Condemning the RDPR department failure to release full amount of pending wages for FY 2021-22, Manipur State Panchayat Parishad president Md Abdul Latif told mediapersons in Imphal on Wednesday that the government ignored a long pending demand for releasing pending wages of MGNREGA and liabilities and instead released Rs 100 crore out of Rs 506 crore pending wages on February 13.
The PRI members demand releasing of pending wages of FY 2021-22 by February 20 and releasing Rs 302 crore for materials component within this month, Abdul Latif said, adding that the state government should follow the Union minister’s instruction to release the pending amount as the Union Minister of RDPR himself assured of advising the state government to solve the MGNREGA issue.
If the state government failed to act according to assurance and does not release the pending amounts, then the PRI members, along with job card holders of hill and valley districts, will start to protest, bandh, blockade in the state from February 21, he informed.
Latif reminded that the demand of PRI is releasing of pending liability of FY 2021-22 of MGNREGA wages component Rs 506 crore and material component Rs 302 crore; conduct 6th panchayat general election intime; hand over the devolution of power to the Panchayat.
A team of PRI, led by MSPP president, went to Delhi on January 31 and worked to get their demands, he informed. As a part of their work, on February 1, they met MoS external affairs and education, RK Ranjan and submitted a memorandum. Further, they submitted a memorandum to the PMO office on February 2. They met MP Lorho S Pfoze on February 3 and MP Leishemba Sanajaoba on February 4, and submitted a memorandum.
They conducted a sit-in protest in Delhi and a press conference was held, and then, on February 6, MoS RDPR, Niranjan Jyoti, gave appointment to them. The minister heard their demands and assured them of advising the state government to release pending amounts, he informed.
On February 8, the team met with Union minister RDPR at his residence quarter with RD secretary, joint secretary and MP Lorho S Pfoze also attending the meeting. The union minister assured to write a letter to the Manipur chief minister and the chief secretary to release pending wages as soon as possible, he added.
