Gadag : Villagers in Jantli-Shiruru, Mundaragi taluk, laid siege to their Gram Panchayat office, protesting against the local Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) for failing to provide work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The scheme, aimed at ensuring 100 days of employment per year in rural areas, has been neglected, leaving villagers in dire straits, especially amidst severe drought conditions.
Early this morning, the villagers gathered in large numbers, armed with shovels, pickaxe, and baskets, to express their anger against PDO Vasant. The villagers, who are facing acute joblessness due to the drought, accused the officer of disregarding their plight and failing to fulfill the mandate of providing 100 days of work as stipulated under the MGNREGA scheme.
Villagers reported that after being given work for only three days in Jantli-Shiruru, PDO Vasant washed his hands of the responsibility. When laborers approached the Gram Panchayat office seeking more work, their request was turned down with the excuse that there were no funds available.
This indifference has not only affected the men but also the women of the village, who took part in the protest with baskets on their heads, highlighting the gravity of their situation. They lamented the absence of rain and the resulting scarcity of jobs, pointing out that while other panchayats managed to provide the promised 100 days of work, their own panchayat failed to do so.
The protesters voiced their anguish and anger through slogans condemning the government and its officials for their failure to implement the scheme properly. Women, in particular, expressed their misery and the struggle to sustain their families without work. They pointed out the stark disparity in the implementation of the scheme across different panchayats and demanded immediate action to rectify the situation.
