NEW: 'There Is No Work Most Of The Time'

Q. Are you a resident of this village? If yes, have you ever migrated from here and for what reason?

MGNREGS Worker: Yes, I am from this village. I migrate often as wages under MGNREGA are low and many times no work is available. I mostly go to work at a factory in Jaipur where I get good wages.

Q. Does your family travel with you?

MGNREGS Worker: No, I travel alone. My family and children stay here in the village.

Q. Have you tried to avail benefits of the Public Distribution System (PDS) at your workplace by using One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme?

MGNREGS Worker: No, as my village is not far from Jaipur, I have never felt the need to avail PDS benefits there.

Q. What documents did the respective authorities ask from you for availing the benefits of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), PDS and health related government schemes?

MGNREGS Worker: An Aadhar card for ICDS and ration card for PDS. For MGNREGA, I had to submit a ration card, an Aadhar card and a bank account number. No documents are asked for at the health centre.

Q. Have you registered as a MGNREGS worker in your source city or destination site?

MGNREGS Worker: I am registered with the Gram Panchayat of my village.

Q. Since you are registered under the MGNREGS, are you receiving your wages on time?

MGNREGS Worker: Yes, when there is work, the wages are also given timely. But the problem is that there is no work most of the time, and we have to sit idle waiting for work or migrate to some other place.

Q. Is there a creche facility at the worksite? Do you bring your children to this facility?

MGNREGS Worker: Yes, a woman has been hired to take care of children at the worksite. Not much is available, but there are a few cradles for children to stay and sleep in.

Q. Were you provided with unemployment allowance* if you did not get work after registering for MGNREGS?

MGNREGS Worker: No, no allowance has been given to any one in the village.

Q. Did you receive any benefits from the government when you migrated?

MGNREGS Worker: No, I did not receive any benefits.

This interview was conducted with a MGNREGS Worker in Maharashtra in Hindi on 23 September 2022, and has been translated.

Source: Reuters

* Under MGNREGS, there is provision of a daily unemployment allowance if an applicant is not provided employment within 15 days of having demanded work.