Bhubaneswar: Hundreds of members of the Odisha Gram Rozgar Sevaks Sangh (OGRSS) will go on an indefinite protest before the Assembly here, Friday.
The Sevaks who have been appointed on contract to monitor Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) projects, said they also work as multipurpose assistants in panchayats.
OGRSS said the government had promised to make their jobs permanent, but has not kept its word. So the OGRSS has decided to hold a massive rally in the city demanding job security. The Friday rally is expected to have around 6,000 people, OGRSS said.
OGRSS President Badri Narayan Mohanty said, “We are now key elements in panchayats. Apart from monitoring MGNREGA work, we are also helping in running the public distribution system, distribution of allowances to the aged, widows and physically-challenged and the conduct of Palli Sabhas. During natural calamities we help the administration to distribute relief. But we are leading a miserable life.”
Gram Rozgar Sevak Pratap Subudhi said the public is already facing problems after the Sangh declared non-cooperation. This shows how important Gram Rozgar Sevaks are, he added.
“The government is least bothered about settling the demands we have been raising for 10 years. We were forced to declare non-cooperation,” he said.
