Speeding vehicle plows into MGNREGA workers in Punjab, killing eight

Eight workers engaged in a central government rural employment programme were killed when a speeding vehicle struck them in Sangrur district, Punjab, officials confirmed Thursday. An additional twelve people sustained injuries in the collision, according to Sangrur Deputy Commissioner Poonamdeep Kaur.

The workers were engaged in activities under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a federal initiative providing guaranteed wage employment to rural households. The accident occurred while the labourers were conducting their assigned tasks in the district.

Local authorities have initiated investigations into the incident. While specific details regarding the vehicle, driver identities, and exact circumstances of the collision remain limited, the scale of casualties has raised concerns about workplace safety for workers engaged in government employment schemes.

MNREGA, implemented across India since 2005, guarantees 100 days of paid employment annually to rural households. With millions of workers participating nationwide, incidents like Thursday's collision underscore ongoing safety challenges faced by labourers in the field.