Srinagar: A group of MGNREGA contractors staged a peaceful protest outside in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district against the delay and irregularities in the disbursement of their pending payments.

According to Global Mirror, the protestors said the officials are prioritizing works executed in 2024 while ignoring their pending bills from 2023. “We have completed our works in 2023, but our payments are still pending. The influential persons are getting their bills cleared while contractors like me are being made suffer for none of our fault,” said a contractor.

It is worth mentioning here that MGNREGA stands for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. . It’s a government scheme that guarantees 100 days of wage employment to rural laborers. The scheme involves infrastructure projects like road construction, water conservation, and irrigation, benefiting rural communities.