Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Eshwar B Khandre has directed officials to issue show-cause notices to 308 panchayat development officers, 74 taluk executive officers and 12 zilla panchayat deputy secretaries over delayed wage payments to workers under the rural employment guarantee scheme identified in the report as VBG Ram G.
The delays have been reported across 311 gram panchayats in 12 districts, despite wage funds having been released to the gram panchayats. Khandre has instructed the department secretary and the chief executive officers of the 12 zilla panchayats to obtain explanations from the officials responsible for the delays.
The minister had earlier directed that workers under the scheme be paid within 15 days of completing their work. He said the panchayat development officers would be held responsible if payments were not made within that period. The latest directions followed his dissatisfaction with continued delays in the identified panchayat areas.
According to the report, the affected gram panchayats are spread across Bagalkot, Belagavi, Chamarajanagar, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Kodagu, Mandya, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Udupi and Vijayapura districts. Mysuru recorded the highest number of affected gram panchayats at 53, followed by Belagavi with 52 and Hassan with 47. Kodagu had 25, while Bagalkot and Udupi each had 23.
The minister said the delay was particularly serious because it could discourage unskilled workers from seeking employment under the programme during drought conditions. He expressed concern that rural workers could be forced to migrate when wage payments are not made on time.
Khandre also pointed to the financial implications of the revised funding arrangement. According to the report, the earlier 90:10 funding ratio under MGNREGA has been changed to 60:40 under VBG Ram G, increasing the financial burden on the state government. The state nevertheless introduced the programme from July 1 to support rural poor households, disadvantaged communities, poor members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and landless labourers.
The minister said administrative negligence and payment delays could undermine the purpose of the programme. He directed the department secretary and the chief executive officers of the 12 districts to ensure that wage payments are not delayed in any panchayat in future. The officials who receive notices will be required to submit their explanations to the department.
