*AP MGNREGS workers left behind under coalition rule: YSRCP*

Visakhapatnam, July 2: Former Minister Budi Muthyala Naidu said Andhra Pradesh has been left at the bottom in the implementation of MGNREGS wage rates, causing severe hardship to farmers and rural labourers. He pointed out that while the Centre increased MGNREGS wages by ₹44 to ₹66 in nine states, ₹32 in Kerala, ₹12 in Karnataka, and ₹12 in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh received only a ₹5 increase this year, taking the daily wage to just ₹312, far below several other states where workers receive more than ₹400 per day.
He recalled that when the YSRCP assumed office, the MGNREGS wage stood at ₹211, and during the five-year tenure of Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, it was raised by ₹89 to ₹300. In contrast, the coalition government has increased wages by only ₹12 over two years, leaving nearly 47 lakh MGNREGS job card-holding families at a disadvantage. He said Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, despite playing a key role at the national level, has failed to secure a fair wage revision for Andhra Pradesh’s workers or press the Centre to treat the State on par with others.
Budi Muthyala Naidu urged the State government to immediately prevail upon the Centre to revise MGNREGS wages in line with other states to protect the livelihoods of rural workers. He also said the coalition government has remained silent on key State interests, including the diversion of the KK Railway Line to another railway zone and the future of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, despite YSRCP consistently opposing its privatization. He said the government must stand up for Andhra Pradesh’s interests instead of remaining silent on issues affecting the State and its people.