Many of the workers recruited under T.N. Rights project demanding disbursal of two months’ pending salary staged a sit-in protest outside the Department of Differently Abled Welfare Office on the Collectorate campus here on Monday.  

The protesters claimed that the NGO, which was responsible for releasing the salary to about 274 staff in Madurai district, has been withholding the payment citing vague reasons.  

K. Manimaran, one of the petitioners, said 274 people which also included differently abled persons were hired in June 2025 under the project funded by the World Bank.  

“As part of the project the staff categorised into various sections based on their skills would involve in surveying the number of differently abled people in the district for their education, income, health care, among others,” he said.  

Adding, Mr. Manimaran noted that the works they carried out were crucial in implementing schemes, earmarking the target beneficiaries, and chalking out plans to implement projects.  

In this situation, for the months of April and May, the recruited people have not been paid.  

“While the payment ranges from ₹10,000 to ₹25,000 based on the category, none of us have received even a single rupee,” he alleged.  

Without the payment, the staff depended solely on the money, were struggling to meet their daily expenses, he said.  

Though they have taken the issue to the Differently Abled Welfare Department officials, they have not gotten any proper reply till date.  

Along with releasing the pending payment, Mr. Manimaran, said, the payment which was under the control of the NGO should be taken over by the government itself.  

“Due to the involvement of the NGO, we are not able to question them for our rights,” he stated.