Over 2,000 women demand MGNREGA jobs in Nagapattinam

More than 2,000 women from Prathabaramapuram village panchayat in Keezhaiyur block of Nagapattinam district have sent registered post applications demanding employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) on Friday.

The mass campaign, led by former panchayat president R.V.S. Sivarasu, is part of growing discontent over what residents allege is a deliberate delay in work allocation, attributed to the absence of elected local body representatives.

“A registered worker has the legal right to demand work under MGNREGA, and employment must be provided within 15 days. If not, compensation must be paid, as stipulated under the Act,” Mr. Sivarasu said.

Mr. Sivarasu said that there were 2,159 registered workers in the village, each entitled to 100 days of employment annually. While the village has typically recorded 1.5 to 1.7 lakh person-days of work in recent years, only 1,725 person-days have been generated so far in the current financial year (2025-26), with a disbursement of just ₹6.23 lakh — down from ₹3 crore to ₹4 crore in previous years.

“The absence of local body representatives since the end of the previous term had hampered the scheme’s implementation. The community, particularly widows, senior citizens, and economically vulnerable families, depend heavily on this programme,” he added.