Social activist Aruna Roy has pulled out the National Advisory Council (NAC) led by UPA Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, after her term ends this Friday. However, the tenure of all the other members has been extended for a period co-terminus with the present Government’s term.
According to a notification from the Prime Minister’s Office, Delhi School of Economics Professor, Virginius Xaxa, has been appointed as the new member of NAC.
Earlier, in her letter to the UPA Chairperson, Roy, said it was “extremely unfortunate” that the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had rejected the NAC recommendations on payment of minimum wages to MGNREGA (rural job scheme) workers and chose instead to appeal the Karnataka High Court judgment ordering the payment of minimum wages to such workers.
She said it was “even more distressing” that the Government refused to pay minimum wages even after the Supreme Court refused to stay the Karnataka High Court judgement. “It is difficult to understand how a country like India can deny the payment of minimum wages and still makes claims of inclusive growth,” Roy said in her letter, adding that the effort to persuade the Government to respect the minimum wages law “must now continue outside the NAC.”
Roy thanked Sonia Gandhi for accepting her request not to be part of the NAC, while assuring her “continued support to campaigns for social sector causes being taken up outside the NAC.”
The NAC was set up to give inputs to the United Progressive Alliance Government on social policies.