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Resource centre on India's rural distress
 
 

HC seeks Centre's explanation on NREGA wages


Justice N Ramamohana Rao of the High Court on Monday directed the central government to explain within one week as to how it could say that the wages payable to the workers under the NREGA scheme can be lower than the wages fixed as per the Minimum Wages Act.

The judge was dealing with a writ petition and a resultant contempt case filed by one Ajay Kumar of AP Vyavasaya Vruthidarula Union and four other workers of Visakhapatnam district. The petitioners had challenged the notification issued by the Union government which fixed Rs 80 as the minimum rate payable to the workers in AP under NREGA.

They contended that the notifications issued by the state government under Minimum Wages Act stipulated the minimum wage payable to agricultural labourers in Visakhapatnam area is Rs 119. They said that the action of the Union government in fixing lesser wages than the notified wages under the Minimum Wage Act amounts to bonded labour. The judge had initially suspended the orders of the central government but the labourers were not getting the higher wages which forced the petitioners to file contempt case.

The state and central governments filed counter affidavits and sought vacation of the interim orders. When the case came up for hearing on Monday the judge did not appreciate the attitude of the governments in this regard. While posting the case to November 16, the judge made it clear that the Centre has to satisfy the court as to how and why such notification was given.