Congress MPs demand action for MGNREGS workers in Kerala

Congress Members of Parliament (MPs) from Kerala held a protest at the Parliament on Tuesday. They were joined by Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition, to highlight the issues facing workers of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). The MPs demanded higher wages to address rising inflation. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a Congress leader, said the government's inaction has left many families struggling. She called for urgent action to support the workers who have not received their wages on time. She urged the government to ensure payment of overdue wages and increase workdays to 150. During the protest, Congress MP Adoor Prakash pointed out a decline in MGNREGS workers in Kerala. He claimed workers had not received wages for the last three months and that Rs.811 crore is owed under the scheme. He also mentioned a recommendation from a Parliamentary committee to link wages to inflation. In response, Union Minister Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani rejected the claims of fund withholding. He stated that Kerala has already received nearly Rs.3,000 crore this year. He assured MPs that any pending payments would be cleared in the coming weeks.