Can MGNREGS labour be used in farm sectors, asks Madras HC
Madurai: Policymakers may examine whether workers under rural employment schemes can be redirected to agriculture, where farmers report labour shortage, Madras high court has said.Justice B Pugalendhi made the observation while refusing to regularise a woman who claimed she had worked as a scavenger
By Ram Sundaram
Madurai: Policymakers may examine whether workers under rural employment schemes can be redirected to agriculture, where farmers report labour shortage, Madras high court has said.Justice B Pugalendhi made the observation while refusing to regularise a woman who claimed she had worked as a scavenger at a veterinary hospital in Trichy district for nine years under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).The court said a model could be considered for using such workers in agriculture, with the wage burden shared between the government and farmers.“Such a model could also involve sharing the wage burden between the government and the farmer, thereby ensuring employment for workers, addressing the labour shortages faced by farmers and reducing the overall burden on the public exchequer,” the judge said.The court said the arrangement would not give workers any right to permanent employment, and the distinction between welfare-scheme engagement and appointment to public service would remain.The order was passed on a petition filed by K Ambika, who sought a direction to absorb her as scavenger in a sanctioned vacancy at the veterinary hospital, Alakarai, and place her in the time scale of pay.She said she was engaged in 2016 and had continued in the same place for nine years.
The state disputed her claim and said she was engaged only on temporary basis and paid under MGNREGS.Rejecting her plea, the court said public posts must be filled through a recruitment process to uphold equal opportunity under Article 14.“Mere continuance of engagement, however long, cannot by itself create a right to regularisation where the initial entry was not through such a process,” the judge said.The court said if MGNREGS workers were engaged for years in rural animal husbandry institutions for recurring daily work, it would indicate a continuing requirement for labour and suggest that the scheme was being used to meet manpower needs in rural institutions.The court disposed of the petition with these observations.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Madurai | Silver Rate in Madurai | Bank Holidays in Madurai | Public Holidays in Madurai | Madurai AQI | Weather in Madurai | Petrol Price in Madurai | Diesel Price in Madurai | CNG Price in Madurai | LPG Price in MaduraiStay updated with the latest Madurai news.
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