45% MGNREGA workers make multiple bank visits to withdraw wages: Survey

The study estimated that the average cost incurred by a MGNREGA worker to visit post offices is the lowest at Rs 6, while a bank visit costs Rs 31, and Rs 67 for an ATM visit

Even as the Centre has tried to quicken wage payments under the flagship programme of MGNREGA, a survey has found that almost 45 per cent of the respondents, primarily poor casual labourers, had to make multiple visits to a bank to get their last withdrawal.

Forty per cent of respondents who used customer service points or banking correspondents to withdraw their wages had to make multiple visits due to biometric failures that happened at least once in their last 5 transactions.

The survey was conducted by LibTech India among 1,947 MGNREGA workers in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jharkhand between September