To avoid delays in the disbursement of wages under MGNREGA, the Centre on Tuesday asked the state governments to notify the “rules” and implement the system of compensation to address the issue. The UPA government’s ambitious employment scheme in the rural sector has been mired in delays in payments.
Citing a provision in the MGNREGA Act, the Centre said that “the disbursement of wages shall be made on a weekly basis or, in any case, not later than a fortnight after the date on which the work was done”.
The rural development ministry has said it will issue an advisory to the states in this regard. “State governments have to notify the ‘rules’ and implement the system of compensation for delay in wage payment. The data on compensation for delay in payment of wages will be calculated from the date of the notification of the rules,” the ministry said.
The Centre has also asked the states to conduct a monthly review of delays occurring in the payment of wages.