MGNREGA: Why govt's app-based attendance system is facing protest

Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh termed the recent measures steps to check corruption in the scheme and said the government would not compromise on transparency

For Reena Devi from Muzaffarpur district, Bihar, the new mobile application to mark attendance for work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is a headache.

Devi said attendance on the app needed to be marked thrice a day, with photograph, in three different time periods.

And, if she missed marking attendance once, she would be counted as “absent” for the day, she said.

“Sometimes the mobile network isn’t adequate or there is some other hindrance to marking attendance, but then it should not be considered as that the person has stayed away from work or there