Andhra Pradesh Vyavasaya Karmika Sangham (APVKS), affiliated to the Bharatiya Khet Mazdoor Union (BKMU), staged a protest here on Wednesday, demanding the State government to take up works under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (MNREGS) immediately.
Agricultural workers and labourers from various districts took part in the protest at the Dharna Chowk here. Addressing the gathering, the APKVS leaders said that providing employment under the Employment Guarantee Scheme would prevent the migration of villagers, more particularly agricultural workers and labour.
Sangham State president Ch. Koteswara Rao and others said that they urged the Central government to allocate ₹2.40 lakh crore for MNREGS, to provide employment to the employment guarantee coolies without insisting on a job card for 200 days.
They also asked the government to pay the coolies based on fixed hours of work and to increase the daily wage to ₹600.
The government was also requested to do away with the two-shift work system and revive summer allowance. The new NIIC software is resulting in a loss of employment guarantee coolies and so it was demanded that the old software should be reintroduced. The employment should be provided within a week time of the request, they said, adding, else as per the Act, the unemployment allowance should be paid to them.
