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Names of 16L MGNREGS workers out

NEW DELHI: About a month before the Centre introduced the Viksit BharatGuarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VBG RAM G) Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), official data shows that more than 16.3 lakh workers were removed from the scheme rolls in the preceding 36 days. This data, pertaining to the period between October 10 and November 14 this year, has raised concerns among rural labourers and experts about exclusion from a law that guarantees the right to work. Kamlesh Paswan, Minister of State for Rural Development, revealed these facts in the Lok Sabha in the written responses to queries raised by Samajwadi Party MPs Lalji Verma and Anand Bhadauriya. The minister further said in the response that the deletion of job cards is a routine exercise carried out by state governments under the MGNREGS rules. He added that the removals were due to fake or duplicate cards, permanent migration of workers, urban reclassification of panchayats, and deaths. His replies categorically stated that digital verification requirements, such as electronic know-your-customer (e-KYC) process, were not a cause for the removals. Opposition say that the current wave of deletions coincides with the introduction of Aadhaar-based e-KYC verification processes that started earlier this year. They point to reports estimating that during the same period a much larger number of workers were deletedclose to 27 lakhwhich coincided with the tightening of e-KYC compliance. Paswans replies also state that more than 56 per cent of active workers have already completed e-KYC requirements till November and nearly 99.7 per cent of active records already have verified through Aadhaar seeding. Officials maintain that the e-KYC process is intended to make verification simpler and prevent fraud not at denying work or pay to genuine workers. The deletion figures form part of a long trend. Since 2019 20, millions of workers names have been regularly removed and added nationwide, with over 3.85 million job cards deleted in 202425 alone and tens of millions added in the same period. The government has issued a standard operating procedure to streamline deletions and reinstatements. It calls for draft lists, gram sabha verification, appeal rights, and grievance redress mechanisms to protect eligible workers.

19 Dec 2025 7:41 am