The Calcutta High Court directed the Centre to resume 100-day work in West Bengal “forthwith”, noting there’s no current obstacle to prospective implementation. It gave four weeks for the Centre to reply on arrears and asked the state to formally seek ₹564 crore in pending dues. The order follows the Supreme Court’s refusal to interfere with an earlier mandate for resumption from Aug 1, 2025. For HR in infrastructure NGOs, rural contractors, and CSR teams, this resets a workforce pipeline that vanished after funds were frozen amid corruption allegations—jobs, payments, and muster rolls are moving again.
The Times of India
For labourers, especially women who rely on local, predictable work, the emotional whiplash has been brutal: months of no wages, daily humiliation at ration shops, school fees slipping. A court-ordered restart feels like oxygen—but trust is thin. People want time-bound payments and transparent job cards, not another cycle of promises. Field HR and program managers will be the first faces workers see; their ability to explain timelines and grievance routes will decide whether hope hardens into belief—or dissolves into anger at the next delay.
Compliance and leadership must treat this like a green-field relaunch: scrub beneficiary lists, digitise muster rolls, publish site-wise wage calendars, and set up multilingual helpdesks. Contractors and partner NGOs should align to anti-corruption controls, geo-tagged attendance, and social audits that workers can understand. Payment SLAs must be visible, not secret. If your company relies on local labour for projects, prepare for scrutiny of wage parity and safety; MGNREGA’s return often exposes gaps in private worksites next door.
What one practice would make wage payments visibly timely to workers and prevent another trust crash?
How can private employers near MGNREGA sites match or exceed its transparency to avoid labour friction?
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5The Times of India
For labourers, especially women who rely on local, predictable work, the emotional whiplash has been brutal: months of no wages, daily humiliation at ration shops, school fees slipping. A court-ordered restart feels like oxygen—but trust is thin. People want time-bound payments and transparent job cards, not another cycle of promises. Field HR and program managers will be the first faces workers see; their ability to explain timelines and grievance routes will decide whether hope hardens into belief—or dissolves into anger at the next delay.
Compliance and leadership must treat this like a green-field relaunch: scrub beneficiary lists, digitise muster rolls, publish site-wise wage calendars, and set up multilingual helpdesks. Contractors and partner NGOs should align to anti-corruption controls, geo-tagged attendance, and social audits that workers can understand. Payment SLAs must be visible, not secret. If your company relies on local labour for projects, prepare for scrutiny of wage parity and safety; MGNREGA’s return often exposes gaps in private worksites next door.
What one practice would make wage payments visibly timely to workers and prevent another trust crash?
How can private employers near MGNREGA sites match or exceed its transparency to avoid labour friction?
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Building Trust.zip
Minimum Wage of UP & UK.pdf