Ludhiana’s Dalit woman labourer earns praise from PM, Sonia at national NREGA meet

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Raakhi Jagga: Ludhiana, Feb 05 2013, 02:07 IST

55-year-old Manjit Kaur works as a labourer in Jalaldiwal village under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). She is among 261 such workers of Ludhiana who have completed 100 days of employment under MGNREGA. Manjit, belongs to a Dalit family and working as a MGNREGA worker was her compulsion because of her poor financial condition. An illiterate, Manjit however impressed PM Dr Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi when she addressed the NREGA workers at the national meet held on February 2.

Manjit said, “From across the country, five workers were chosen to speak in this programme and I am the only one from Punjab.” Manjit who at the moment is getting Rs 166 per day as daily wage while addressing the PM said, “No doubt NREGA has improved my financial condition and my kids are studying in schools and colleges, but daily wages should be at least Rs 250 a day because in open market one can easily get Rs 350 as daily wage. However, I being a woman and that too in my fifties cannot be too active. So I have no choice but to work within the village at low wages. However with inflation level, these wages need to be hiked.”

She also said that 100 days of employment should also be increased to 250 days of employment.

Apart from being a labourer, Manjeet also farms on panchayat land. “We have to eat food for the rest days of year as well. So this farming income

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