Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has announced an honorarium of Rs 9,540 for the employment assistants of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA) in the state. State Public Relations Department officials said on Thursday that Chief Minister Baghel has announced to increase the honorarium of MNREGA employment assistants from Rs 5,000 to Rs 9,540. He said that the Chief Minister made this announcement during a discussion with a delegation of employment assistants of MGNREGA who came to his residence office here today. State Industries Minister Kawasi Lakhma was also present during this.
It is noteworthy that in Chhattisgarh, the employment assistants of MNREGA were agitating for the demand for increase in honorarium and regularization. This included the demand for the implementation of the Civil Services Rules 1966 and the Panchayat Workers Manual on MNREGA workers. Regarding this, a Dandi March was also taken out by MNREGA workers against the government in Dantewada district, which was named as the Tricolor March towards the auxiliary workers.
It was told on behalf of the employment assistants that about 5 thousand employment assistants had participated in this march. At the same time, stating throughout the march, the organizers had claimed that this is the first such movement, in which the employees have taken out a 400 km long Dandi Yatra for their demands.
The echo of this movement of employment assistants also reached the government and Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced to increase the honorarium by tweeting.