PARADIP: Reeling under the lockdown and lack of jobs under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), a  large number of daily wagers in rural areas of the district are making a beeline for Paradip in quest of work

With the coronavirus outbreak affecting the livelihood of the poor, the State Government had decided to activate jobs under MGNREGS and Urban Wage Employment Initiative (UWEI). However, as work under MGNREGS is yet to start in several panchayats of the district, many poor villagers are forced to travel to Paradip where UWEI has already been implemented by the municipal authorities.

Daily wagers of several panchayats in Kujang and Erasma block, which are adjacent to Paradip Municipality, alleged that since no employment opportunities are available under MGNREGS in their villages even after relaxation of restrictions, they are travelling to Paradip town every day to work in the port town. Many villagers of Paradipgarh, Biswali, Bhutmundei and Nuagarh of Kujang, Dhinkia, Gadakujang, Nuagaon and Balitutha of Erasama are going to Paradip daily by covering 10-20 km.

Pramoda Swain of Dhinkia said, “We are living in a pathetic condition due to lack of livelihood options. As jobs are not happening in rural areas, we travel to Paradip where plenty of employment opportunities are available under UWEI. While many villagers are forced to opt for domestic work, others are engaged in the port area.” Swain accused the district officials of neglect in implementing MGNREGS in rural areas.

Dhinkia sarpanch Kishore Parida admitted that not a single project under MGNREGS has been started in any of the panchayats in Erasama block. “Though we have sought the intervention of the block development officer (BDO), nothing has been done in this regard,” he claimed. Similarly, Paradipgarh sarpanch Mihir Ranjan Sahoo said the administration is yet to start any MGNREGS project in Kujang. “Our panchayat had submitted proposals for 12 projects at a cost of `60 lakh to the administration. However, not a single project has been implemented under MGNREGS,” he said.

Besides, the wage of `206 per day under the rural job scheme is very less due to which villagers prefer to go to Paradip town where they can easily earn `450 to `500 per day, Sahoo added.Kujang BDO Pooja Lenka said implementation of MGNREGS projects has been delayed due to some error in muster roll generation work at the State level. So far, only one project is underway in Mallasahi panchayat, she added.