Mianikjhola Village Gets Full Labour Payment And A Brand New Anganwadi Centre!!

The MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) is supposed to provide at least 100 days of assured employment to the unskilled in rural areas, facilitating a measure of economic security, and overall village development by enabling people to plan for their village development works. However, lack of proper planning and coordination at district, Block and Gram Panchayat level defeats these noble objectives of the Act. In the village of Manikjhola, in Rayagada District, Odisha, Shankar Meleka was determined to address this situation in a very decisive way, and ensured payment to all labourers, even though it involved a long and protracted struggle.

The people of Manikjhola village, Pitamahal GP laboured for 12 days for “Improvement of Manikjhola to RD Road”, in the financial year 2014-15. The 20 labourers who had sweated in the heat and dust waited anxiously for their payment, looking to their labour leader, Shankar Meleka for their hard earned wages. However, weeks turned to months, and months to years, and even 14 months after the work, no payment was forthcoming.  Shankar lodged several complaints to the BDO only to be told that the work was not according to the measurement. In the meanwhile, no engineer came to evaluate their work.

Shankar finally lost his patience, and went to the labour court and filed a case. This had immediate impact. The ABDO(Additional BDO ) and the JE (Junior Engineer went for an inquiry. They sought to negotiate with Shankar for withdrawal of the case. Shankar made it conditional to receipt of payment full by all the labourers.

In November, one month after the Labour  Court case had been filed, all those who had worked received payments into their account. The total money received was Rs.39360/- .

This encouraged the women of Manikjhola to apply for further works. They demanded for an Anganwadi Centre, and enthusiastically completed the project in record time. They received the payment, and now have a brand new Anganwadi Centre for their toddlers!

After this, the people were extremely enthusiastic, and have taken up another work of Anganwadi construction, and laying of raod from Angandad centre to the village, which would be about half a km.