Kolhapur, May 18, 2020: To accommodate the large number of people returning to their villages and reduce the financial burden on the farmers, farmer leader Raju Shetti has suggested the inclusion of farm and dairy work in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Speaking to TOI, Shetti said most of those returning to the villages were employed in the cities as industrial workers or in the services sector. Their return to the villages will put a strain on the rural economy, which has no jobs other than farming activities according to the reports published in timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
“If a person is provided work through MGNREGA, then he or she will get a daily wage as fixed by the Centre. I have learnt that the Centre is increasing MNREGA allocations. While the local and state authorities are more focussed on fighting the Covid crisis, I suggest the inclusion of farming and dairy activities in the MNREGA scheme,” he said.
