In response to recent reports claiming a 16 per cent dip in employment generation in the first half of the current year under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) clarified that the program is well-funded to meet the fluctuating demand for rural labour.
The Ministry highlighted that, since the scheme's inception, MGNREGS has generated a cumulative 2,923 crore person-days from the Financial Year (FY) 2014-15 to FY 2024-25, a substantial increase compared to the 1,660 crore person-days created between FY 2006-07 and FY 2013-14. Citing the program's demand-driven nature, the ministry pointed out that specific employment targets are not pre-set, as states and union territories can request additional labour budgets as needed.
While recent media reports stated a 16 per cent drop in rural employment under MGNREGS for the first half of the current fiscal year, the Ministry attributed this fluctuation to the scheme's adaptability to demand, especially as FY 2024-25 is still ongoing. In its statement, the Ministry emphasised the role of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and Aadhaar-based payments in enhancing transparency. Through the Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS), payments are credited directly into workers' accounts, eliminating intermediaries.
To date, 99.3 per cent of active MGNREGS workers have completed Aadhaar seeding, a measure that reduces transaction delays and ensures wages reach eligible workers promptly. In cases where transactions fail under ABPS, a National Automated Clearing House (NACH) mode offers an alternative for processing payments. The Ministry also addressed concerns around the deletion of job cards, clarifying that job cards are deactivated only after thorough verification. Job cards may be cancelled if they are duplicates, belong to households that have relocated, or if the sole job cardholder has passed away.
In FY 2024-25, a total of 32.28 lakh job cards were deleted following verification, with the Ministry underscoring that job card verification is part of routine monitoring. To further increase accountability, the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) has been implemented to capture real-time attendance at MGNREGS worksites, using geo-tagged, timestamped photos of workers. According to the Ministry, NMMS attendance was recorded at 95.66 per cent of worksites for FY 2024-25, with offline options available to address connectivity issues.
The Ministry clarified that attendance can still be registered even if mates do not have smartphones supporting the NMMS app, with manual attendance approved in exceptional cases. Contrary to reports of budget cuts, the Ministry highlighted that the scheme's budget has seen a steady increase, with an allocation of Rs 86,000 crore for FY 2024-25--the highest since the scheme began.
This year also saw a 7 per cent increase in the average minimum wage for MGNREGS workers, rising from Rs 155 in FY 2013-14 to Rs 279 in FY 2024-25. According to the Ministry, 97 per cent of Fund Transfer Orders (FTOs) are generated on time, with delay compensation rules established in 27 states and union territories to ensure workers receive timely wages. (ANI)
