Employees under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) in Mysuru district held a protest on Monday outside the Zilla Panchayat (ZP) office, demanding the release of pending salaries that have not been paid since November 2024.
Speaking at the protest, Manjunath, President of the MNREGA Employees Association (Mysuru district unit), said: “We have gone seven months without pay. Managing our families and daily needs has become unsustainable. We’ve submitted a formal memorandum to ZP Chief Executive Officer S Yukesh Kumar, urging for immediate salary disbursement.”
Workers expressed how the delay has pushed them into financial distress, forcing many to rely on borrowed money to cover school fees, medical expenses, and daily essentials. “We work across district, taluk, and village panchayat levels, yet are left without income,” they lamented.
The protest saw participation from a wide range of MNREGA staff including technical and IEC coordinators, MIS staff, engineers, Grama Kayaka Mitras, BFTs, accounts assistants, and computer operators from all taluks and grama panchayats.
Honorary President Lokesh of the association joined others in calling on the administration to prioritize salary disbursal and recognize the hardships endured by rural employment staff. Protesters warned of continued agitation if their demands go unmet.
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