84.8 Lakh Workers Dropped from MGNREGS

Between April and September, 2024, a recent study reported that 84.8 lakh workers registered under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) had their names deleted, while 45.4 lakh new workers joined, resulting in a net loss of 39.3 lakh workers.

Key Points

Highest Deletion Rates: Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh saw the largest removal of workers, at 14.7% and 14.6%, respectively.
Widespread Deletions Trend: Over the past two years, Lib Tech documented that 8 crore workers were deleted from MGNREGS records across financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Aadhaar-Based Payment System Mandate: The government implemented mandatory Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS) requirements for MGNREGS in January 2023, needing workers’ Aadhaar to match job card details and to be linked to bank accounts.
Eligibility Challenges: As of recent data, 27.4% of registered workers and 4.2% of active workers are ineligible for ABPS, leading to limited access for many.
Decline in Active Workers: Active workers dropped by 8% from October 2023 to October 2024, with numbers reducing from 14.3 crore to 13.2 crore, indicating decreased reliance on the scheme.
Sharp Drop in Workdays (Person Days): Person days dropped 16.6% from 184 crore in FY 2022-23 to 153 crore in the current year, with Tamil Nadu and Odisha recording the steepest declines while Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh saw an increase.