Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act/Scheme (MNREGA) is a progressive and revolutionary program for bringing about a societal change in favour of the poor, unskilled and unorganised labourer class. Unfortunately this government scheme is in the hands of the powerful and corrupt people. Corruption in implementation of MNREGA is an order of the day. In response to the rampant corruption prevalent in all panchayats, it has become the most important issue for our campaign for the last one year. There are many anomalies in the implementation of this government scheme.

1. Regular SMC meetings are taking place in 62 villages.
2. SMC members became aware of their rights and demand for regular sittings.
3. We organised One day seminar on RTE-Act in this direction.

GRASS ROOT LEVEL MEETINGS

The grassroots meetings were mainly conducted keeping these objectives:

1. Awareness building on MNREGA among the Labourers.
2. Proper implementation of MNREGA.
3. Unite/Organize people against irregularities in MNREGA and motivate them to demand for their rights.
4. Formation or Strengthening of ‘MNREGA Labour Organization’ at grassroots.
5. Issue based discussion and resolving the local issues.
6. Preparing the unorganized labour force for Mass Mobilization and pressurizing the district and state policy makers (Government).

OUTCOME / IMPACT OF GRASS ROOT LEVEL ACTIVATES

a) There were312 grass root level meetings in the villages.
b) There are 84 MNREGA labourer’s Organisation are established locally in three Blocks (38in Cholapur, 29 in Chiraigaon and 17 in Kashi Vidhyapith).
c) 6093 labourers got 79,973 days work after collective job application through their organization.
d) The number of members/labourers present in every grassroots meetings increased (4905 Labourers ).

FORMATION OF ‘MNREGA LABOUR UNION’ (MLU)

Mass plight of the labourer class to the cities and other states due to poverty, drought, and low wage there emerged a need for the Government to introduce alternative job creation for the unskilled and unorganised labour class. Collective conscentization program and campaign in the villages to educate the villagers on MNREGA and its benefits are still remaining as a major challenge for the government. Responding to the emerged situation the entire LCS focused on this issue as a campaign. We are contacting the labourers, educating them on their rights, and visiting their work sites and organizing them into MNREGA labour union in their own panchayats whereby ensuring the 100 working days carved in the Act .

We have formed 84 MNREGA labourer’s Organisation (38 in Cholapur, 29 in Chiraigaon and 17 in Kashi Vidhyapith) locally in three Blocks during one year. There were 32 old organisations in the villages and they were all reconstituted.

RECONSTITUTION OF BLOCK LEVEL MNREGA LABOURER’S ORGANISATION

Block level MNREGA Labour Organisation was reconstituted on 25-09-12 in Chiraigaon, 27-09-12 in Cholapur and 29-09-12 in Kashi Vidhyapith Blocks respectively. There were 162 MLU leaders in Chiraigaon Block, 60 MLU leaders in Kashi Vidhyapith and 93 MLU leaders present from Grassroots in the meeting and they all actively participated in the electoral process. The list of newly elected team Leaders in three Blocks as follows:

BLOCK LEVEL TEAM MEMBERS

INTERNATIONAL LABOURER’S DAY

LCS celebrated ‘International Labourer’s Day’ on 1 May, 2012 dedicating the day for the Labour Class. MNREGA Labour Organization, Lok Samiti and Mahila Chetana Samiti jointly arranged the program simultaneously in all three Blocks of our intervention; combining the Pradhan’s Union, Rojgar Sevak Union and the MNREGA Labour Union. There were 570 people from these three Unions participated in the programs.

The main objective of the gathering was to demand for the smooth intervention of the MNREGA Scheme by the government machinery and bringing out coordination and cooperation between Pradhan, Rojgar Sevak and Labourers.

'TOTAL REVOLUTION DAY'- A CONVENTION IN SUPPORT OF MNREGA

LCS, being rooted in the socio-political philosophy of ‘total revolution’ initiated by late Jai Prakash Narain, celebrated “Total Revolution Day” on 05, June, 2012, dedicating the day for the MNREGA Labour Force demanding for just and proper implementation of the MNREGA Act. Conducting a mass convention at District Head Quarters of Varanasi; the Pradhan’s Union, Rojgar Sevak Union and the MNREGA Labour Union demanded greater transparency, accountability and proper implementation of MNREGA from the Government.

OUTCOME/RESULT/IMPACT

I. There were 28 Pradhans, 14 Rjgar Sevaks and 528 Labourers present in the meeting.
II. It was an external demonstration of the MNREGA Labour organization.
III. It was an occasion of interface dialogue and all three unions decided to work together.
IV. It had been decided that if the demands put forward to the Government were not fulfilled then a district level convention would be held which was later realised on 5 June, 2012.A positive attitude among the Pradhans were created and the Labourers experienced a sense of cooperation from Pradhans at grassroots.