AAP misusing NREGA workers for political gains, claims Dalit body

The district branch of the Dalit Dastan Virodhi Andolan (DDVA) staged a dharna in front of the District Administrative Complex (DAC) on Thursday, highlighting the ongoing demands of NREGA workers. A memorandum listing their demands was also submitted to a district official in the DC office. Workers, including many women, from various villages across the district participated in the protest.

Ranjit Singh Shakri, district president of the DDVA, while addressing the gathering, said the state government had not provided compensation to people whose houses were damaged or collapsed during the recent floods. He said the organisation had submitted applications on behalf of 336 victims from different villages, but the officer concerned refused to accept them.

He added that though the Union Government claims to provide 150 days of work annually to NREGA workers in flood-affected villages, many workers were not receiving even 100 days of employment. He demanded unemployment allowance for the failure to provide the mandated work.

Leaders of the organisation, including Aroor Singh, Joga Singh, Hira Singh, Amandeep Kaur, Kuldeep Singh Kirian, Gurnam Singh Chamba and Nirmal Singh Narli, also addressed the gathering.

The speakers alleged that leaders of the ruling party in the villages had turned the NREGA scheme into a political tool, depriving people with opposing views of work opportunities.