The government of Manipur has failed to pay even the small amounts of honorarium of the elected 60 Zilla Parisham Members, 161 Pradhans and 1127 Ward Members for the months from October 2019 to till date, he alleged
TFM Desk
Drawing the attention of union minister for rural development, an open letter has been shot off over non-release of funds for liabilities of MGNREGA regarding 1st and 2nd installments of the 1st trench of central assistance for the financial year 2020-21.
The letter written Zilla Parishad member of 14-Uchekon Nongchup Zilla Parishad Seram Neken sought sympathetic prompt action. Neken urged the RD minister to direct the authority concerned to pay the required honorarium of the elected panchayat members and also to release the required liability of MGNREGS of each implementing agency through their respective district for the financial year 2021 at the earliest for the end of justice
It said there are 161 Gram Panchayats and 60 Zilla Parishad Members in Manipur. The twin objectives of the Panchayati Raj system as envisaged by the Indian Constitution are to ensure local economic development and social justice. So, the importance of Gram Panchayat lies in empowering rural population to participate in rural development programmes for improving their quality of life and providing rural infrastructure and socio-economic growth for the poor people in rural areas.
However, the government of Manipur has failed to pay even the small amounts of honorarium of the elected 60 Zilla Parisham Members, 161 Pradhans and 1127 Ward Members for the months from October 2019 to till date, it alleged.
The letter further said the rate of honorarium of each Zilla Parishad Member is Rs. 9000/- per month, Rs. 8000/- for each Pradhan and Rs. 3000/- for each ward member only. The very act of the Government of Manipur has amounted to weaken the Panchayati Raj which is against the Indian Constitution.
It claimed that Manipur is one of the backward states of North Eastern India having about three lakh job card holders under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guaranteed Act, 2005. Most of the remaining works programmes of the financial year 2020-21 have been executed considering that the due liability of the current financial year may be released by the Ministry concerned soon, added the letter.
“It is indeed that Your Good Office has released the payment of 2nd installment of 1st trench of Central Assistance toward wages, material and administrative component for financial year 2020-21 to the state Government of Manipur vide File No. J-14023/01/2020 RE-I (Sl. No.102) dated 09.02.2021 and the payment of the 1st installment of 2nd trench of Central Assistance Vide File No.J-14023/01/2020 RE-I (Sl.No.119) dated 18.03.2021 respectively,” it said.
However, the Government of Manipur has intentionally failed to release the above said amount of funds to the respective districts till date which has caused inconveniences to the implementing agencies as well as job cardholders, alleged the letter.