Chandigarh: Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Wednesday claimed that the nearly two-month strike by MGNREGA/VB-GRAM G employees had ended after the govt accepted all the union’s “genuine demands”, clearing the way for the statewide rollout of the VB-G RAM G initiative from Thursday.After a meeting with representatives of the MGNREGA/VB-GRAM G Employees’ Union, Cheema said issues relating to service conditions, contractual tenure, migration to the VB-GRAM G framework, remuneration and other administrative matters had been resolved. He said the decisions would benefit nearly 2,000 employees across the state.Cheema claimed the union had announced the immediate withdrawal of the strike and assured the govt of its cooperation in implementing rural development programmes. Employees would resume duties on Wednesday, while the VB-GRAM G initiative would be implemented across all villages from Thursday, he said.According to the minister, the programme aims to ensure timely wage employment for rural households, speed up the creation of durable rural assets and strengthen rural infrastructure.The rural development and panchayats department expressed confidence that the rollout of the initiative would improve rural governance and public service delivery.
