Update 123: Solidarity appeal for Niyamat Ansari, Unemployment Allowance in Varanasi and More

[Rozi Roti]

Dear Friends

Please find the latest rozgar update. The Ministry of Rural Development has issued new guidelines for Social Audits in the NREGA, while also threatening state governments that funds might be stopped if corruption persists and CBI involved to investigate corruption in NREGA. While investigation and action on corruption is welcome stopping funds can be a very counter-productive step, ultimately harming the rural poor.

Meanwhile grassroots struggles for employment guarantee continue around the country, including mass protests in Karnataka and West Bengal, a march of NREGA union workers from Punjab in Delhi, a public hearing in Rayagada, and more than 100 NREGA workers in Varanasi winning their demand for unemployment allowances.

Please note that the first fact finding report on Niyamat Ansari's murder by Jharkhand Bachao Andolan has come out. Other relevant reports and updates on the murder case can be read online at www.nrega.net.in

Warmly
Aashish

दोस्तों

ग्रामीण विकास मंत्रालय ने सामाजिक अंकेक्षण के लिए नयी मार्ग-दर्शिकाएं जारी कर दी हैं. साथ ही उन्होंने राज्य सरकारों को एक छिट्ठी में भ्रष्टाचार के मुद्दे को लेकर केन्द्रीय राशि रोक देने की और केन्द्रीत जांच ब्यूरो से जांच करने की चेतावनी दी है. हालाकि भ्रष्टाचार पर कड़ी कार्यवाही सही दिशा में एक कदम है, केन्द्रीय आवंटन रोक देने से ग्रामीण मजदूरों को काफी दिक्कर हो सकती है. ध्यान दें की नियामत अंसारी के हत्याकांड की एक जांच दल की रिपोर्ट आ गयी है, जो संलग्न है. 

इस बीच, रोज़गार गारंटी के लिए संघर्ष ज़मीनी स्तर पर जारी हैं, जिन में कर्नाटक और पश्चिम बंगाल में धरना एवं विरोध प्रदर्शन, दिल्ली में पंजाब से नरेगा उनियन के मजदूरों दयारा मार्च, रायगडा और कोरापुट में जन सुनवाई और १०० से अधिक मजदूरों को वारानसी में बेरोज़गारी भत्ता मिलना शामिल है.

नियामत अंसारी के हत्याकांड के बारे में बाकी जानकारी www.nrega.net.in से मिल सकती है. अगर आप रोज़गार उपडेट के माध्यम से कोई जानकार बेह्जना चाहते हैं तो roz...@gmail.com पर लिखें.
आशीष

--

1. Developments in Delhi
1.1 MoRD issues new Draft Social Audit Rules for 2011 [Find here]
1.2 NAC Working Groups start discussions on Natural Resource Management and NREGA in Rain-Fed Areas and Transparency and Accountability under NREGA [See Press Release on Formation of Groups here (Point 11)]

1.3 MoRD Issues "Stricter" Rules for Release of Funds under NREGA [News article here] [Rules here]

1.4 MoRD sends Circular to state threatening stoppage of funds and CBI Probes for Corruption [PIB Press Release Here]
1.5 NREGA Workers Stage Dharna in Delhi [News article here]

2.Niyamat Ansari's Murder
2.1 Solidarity Appeal: What you can do [Find here]

2.2 Jharkhand Bachao Andolan's Fact Finding Report on Niyamat Ansari's Murder [English | Hindi]
2.3 Concluding Statement from Niyamat Solidarity Meeting [Find here]
2.4 Fairy Tales About Niyamat [Find Here]

3. Important Media Articles
3.1 Corruption: NGO Reveals Orissa, MP Discrepancy, Supreme court asks for CBI Probe, BJP Demands CID Probe in NREGA Work in Maharashtra, NREGA Fraud in Andhra Pradesh by Ministers under Probe, 98 Complaints received by MoRD on use of Machines in NREGA, 5 Mates and Post Master arrested in Barwadih, Latehar for illegally withdrawing NREGA money,

3.2 Implementation: Meghalaya govt. to set up agency to ensure timely payment of wages, Bihar and UP outsource NREGA Implementation to NGOs, Jharkhand plans to create Job Guarantee Fund, NREGA Implementation by States remain cause of Concern
3.3 Nikhil Dey's Interview: NREGA is creating jobs and assets in Rural India

4. From the Field

4.1 Public Hearing on NREGA in Rayagada - Via Vidhya [Press note and Jury Recommendations attached]

4.2 Unemployment Allowance to 106 Workers paid in Sewapuri Block in Varanasi district after two years [See news article here] [Details attached]

4.3 NREGA Study in Chhattisgarh by Right to Food Campaign, Chattisgarh [Presentation attached]

4.4 Protest by GRAKOOS in Raichur [See demands attached]

4.5 Protest by PBKMS in Krishnanagar, Nadia

Members of Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity hit the streets once again on 5^th April 2011 at Krishnanagar , district head quarters of Nadia district to demand pending wages, work and food. Armed with empty plates, hundreds of women and men surrounded the District Magistrate’s office. Their main slogan was simple “A Government that breaks its own law has no right to rule”.

The Government, according to PBKMS, has violated the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act by refusing to accept applications for work, by not providing them work and by not paying them wages in time. It had also violated Supreme Court orders on pensions and rations. Thus,

·         1,941 members of PBKMS and its fraternal organisation Shramajeevi Mahila Samity had demanded work for 37,693 days in the past four months, but had not been provided employment.

·         Workers in only 4 Panchayats from 3 blocks were owed wages of Rs. 10.24 million – again payments were pending for over 4 months

·         Workers demanded payment of unemployment allowance and compensation for late payment of wages.

4.5 Public Hearing on NREGA in Koraput, 18th March 2011 [Details attached]

(Rozgar updates are occasional updates on NREGA prepared by volunteers and circulated among organisations and individuals working on NREGA. The updates are currently being prepared by Aashish Gupta with advice from Jean Dreze and Reetika Khera. If you have any material to share for wide circulation, please send to roz...@gmail.com.)