Tamil Nadu seeks urgent release of Rs 1,635 crore MGNREGS dues from Centre
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the national capital on Monday, seeking the immediate release of Rs 1,635 crore in wage arrears owed to workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
The pending wage dues have accumulated from November 27, 2024, to date, affecting the livelihoods of thousands of rural workers across the state. Thennarasu was accompanied by DMK leader and Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi and Additional Chief Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi during the meeting.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had earlier addressed the issue in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 13, urging the Centre to release the funds without further delay. “Tamil Nadu has always been a pioneer in implementing the MGNREGS and has consistently been the top state in terms of manpower generation, women participation, employment of differently-abled persons, timely payment of wages, completion of work, and asset creation,” a government release stated.
The scheme has over 1.09 crore registered workers from 85 lakh families in Tamil Nadu. Of these, 86 per cent of employment opportunities have been provided to women, while 29 per cent have benefited Adi Dravidar and Scheduled Tribe families. Additionally, over one lakh differently-abled workers gain employment annually under the scheme.