But it does seem like the government of the day is not concerned. “It is really criminal that the government is troubling the poorest of the poor. First of all, MGNREGS wages are half of the market wages; then these wages are not growing. Now, this delay in payment of wages will only push more people into poverty as this means a reduction in demand. This will add more stress on them,” underscored Himanshu, who works with the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Slamming the government for its inaction, Himanshu contended that ‘this government doesn’t care for the poor’. “It is not just MGNREGS wages. All the sectors affecting the rural economy are in a crisis. And the government is doing enough. They need to put more money in the hands of the poor and MGNREGS is one way to do it. They should increase MGNREGS wages and also increase the number of working days. They must ensure immediate payment as then those who have worked will have the money to spend also,” he says.

In October this year, data from the labour bureau showed that that wages for rural male general agriculture workers decelerated by 3.4% in July. Additionally, the consumer price inflation for agriculture workers during the same month was 6.21% against 2.04% a year ago.

Demonetisation and the hasty implementation of goods and services tax (GST) has aggravated the rural slowdown.

A questionnaire sent to the Rural Development Minister and several secretaries at the ministry 72 hours ago remains unacknowledged and unanswered. This story will be updated as and when a reply is received.