Bhubaneswar: More than eight crore workers were removed from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (MGNREGS) registry during the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24, a report by Lib Tech India has claimed. Over 39 lakh registered workers were deleted from the scheme between April and September 2024, it said in the report released on Friday. The data shows that over 6.7 crore workers across the country have become ineligible to seek work under the rural job scheme due to non-compliance with mandatory Aadhaar seeding.
Despite several extensions of deadlines, 27.4% of all MGNREGA workers and 4.2% of active workers are currently ineligible for Aadhaar-based Payment System (ABPS) benefits. The Centre had mandated the nationwide implementation of ABPS in January 2023. However, in response to public outcry and pressure from civil society groups, the deadline for ABPS implementation was extended several times. Since January 1, 2024, however, ABPS has been made mandatory. The data revealed significant state-level disparities in compliance with ABPS. Assam has the highest percentage of active workers ineligible for ABPS, while Kerala has the lowest. Among all registered workers, Maharashtra leads with the highest percentage of ineligible workers, while Andhra Pradesh has the lowest. According to the report, 66.3% of all workers in Maharashtra and 22% of active workers in Assam are ineligible for ABPS.
The report also said that there was a significant drop in employment opportunities under MGNREGS compared to the previous year. The total number of person-days of employment fell from 184 crore last year to 154 crore this year, reflecting a 16.6% decline. Tamil Nadu and Odisha recorded the steepest declines in person-days generated, while Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh saw increases. “This drop suggests not only a shrinking participation base but also a potential shortfall in the delivery of employment opportunities to those who need them most. Persistent implementation challenges, particularly with Aadhaar-based payments and worker eligibility for ABPS, continue to exacerbate these issues,” the report pointed out.
The report further said that while there were marginal additions to the worker registry, these were overshadowed by the significant deletions, resulting in a net loss of 39 lakh workers during the period. “This raises concerns about the efficacy of the system, particularly in light of wrongful deletions, which further hinder access to employment under the scheme,” it added.
It also highlighted the suspension of MGNREGA works in West Bengal since December 2021. “The ongoing legal case in the Calcutta High Court further complicates the situation, emphasising the urgent need for intervention to restore the program’s functionality in the state,” it said. The report’s findings were sourced from official data on the MGNREGA website, it said.
