Opposition Congress today staged a walkout from Legislative Assembly after expressing unhappiness over the government's reply on "pending" payment to labourers under the MGNREGA. Raising the issue during Question Hour, ruling BJP MLA Sanam Jangde claimed that villagers of at least 20 Panchayats under his constituency, Bhilaigarh, were not paid wages against the work done under MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) in the year 2015-16. In his reply, Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Ajay Chandrakar said that no payment of wages under the guaranteed employment scheme was pending for the year 2015-16. The minister, however, said he would take stock of the payment made under MGNREGA for three village panchayats (in Bhilaigarh area) if Jangde will provide him details. Meanwhile, Congress MLAs, including Satyanarayan Sharma, Dhanendra Sahu and Amarjeet Bhagat, alleged that the payment for the year 2015-16 under the employment scheme was pending in several panchayats across the state. The legislators saidvillagers were reeling under a financial crisis due to pending payment since the last two years. Bhagat demanded that a House Committee be constituted to examine the pending payment under MGNREGA. Subsequently, Congress members said they were unsatisfied with the reply of the minister and staged a walkout.
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