CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release the pending wages of Rs 1,056 crore under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), citing the financial hardship faced by thousands of rural households in the State.

In a strongly-worded letter to the Prime Minister, Stalin highlighted the impressive track record of Tamil Nadu in implementing MGNREGS, which has provided livelihood opportunities to nearly 91 lakh workers from 76 lakh households across the State.

“The scheme has been a lifeline for rural households, with 86 per cent of employment being provided to women workers and 29 per cent of workers belonging to SC/ST households. However, despite the State’s diligent efforts, the exhaustion of wage funds has resulted in a significant backlog of pending wages, amounting to Rs 1,056 crore. This delay has caused considerable financial distress to thousands of rural households, particularly during the ongoing harvest festival of Pongal,” Stalin pointed out in his letter to Prime Minister Modi.

He emphasised that releasing pending wages is crucial to mitigate the financial hardship faced by rural households, who rely heavily on MGNREGS for their livelihood.

The Chief Minister also urged the Centre to approve the revised labour budget for 2024-2025, which has been proposed to be increased from 20 crore person-days to 35 crore person-days.