John Wilbert
Port Blair, August 19: Mr Kuldeep Rai Sharma, Member of Parliament, A&N Islands met the MGNREGA employees today morning who are sitting on indefinite mass hunger strike from 19.08.2019 at Tiranga Park, Port Blair for enhancement of their wages which has not been increased since June 2012.
Expressing profound grief, Mr Sharma has addressed the issue of enhancement of wages of the MGNREGA employees to the Lt. Governor, A&N Islands, expressing that the MGNREGA staff engaged by the A&N Administration at all three districts of A&N Islands for providing 100 days of guaranteed employees for every household in Rural Area are very poorly paid and their wages have been increased since June 012. Since then, these employees have been pressing their demands through their union for increasing their wages.
Mr Sharma further stated that the Ministry of Rural Development, GoI, New Delhi has already accorded its consent for enhancement of wages during February 2019 but the matter is still resting with the A&N Administration despite giving assurance to the Union that the matter will be settled within a short period.
Mr Sharma stated that being aggrieved by the prolong delay being caused by the A&N Administration to enhance the wages, these distressed employees are forced to sit on indefinite mass hunger strike from today i.e.19.08.2019 onwards in order to invite the attention of A&N Administration for early enhancement of their wages.
Hence, the Member of Parliament Mr Sharma requested the Lt. Governor to intervene in the matter and resolve the long pending genuine grievance of enhancement of wages of the MGNREGA employees who are now sitting on hunger strike at Tiranga Park, Port Blair from 19.08.2019.
Meanwhile, Social worker of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mr. Sanjay Meshak and President of Jan Sena Party in Andaman, Mr. Ram Babu has also supported the MGNREGA employees.
