Over 8.4 million MGNREGS workers' registration 'deleted' in six months

While 8.4 million workers were removed from the initiative, over 4.5 million new workers were added during this period, a report by Lib Tech, a consortium of academics and activists, claimed

More than 8.4 million workers of MGNREGS or Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme have found their names deleted from the programme between April and September, a report by The Hindu said on Saturday. 

 

The report, based on a study by Lib Tech, a consortium of academics and activists, claimed that the net deletion of workers between in the said period stood at 3.9 million. This means that while 8.4 million workers were removed from the initiative, over 4.5 million new workers were added.

 

According to the report, Tamil Nadu was the worst impacted state, witnessing the highest percentage of workers removed at 14.7 per cent. Last year, the same organisation reported that 80 million people were removed from the MGNREGS registry during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 financial years.

 

'15% deletions were wrongful'

The Hindu also cited Lib Tech’s other study which suggested that about 15 per cent of these deletions were wrongful. The study observed that these deletions have coincided with the Centre’s push for the Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS).

 

Lib Tech’s analysis based on public data related to the program says that more than 27 per cent of the registered workers are ineligible for APBS, triggering a wave of discouragement among them from relying on the employment scheme. It could also be contributing to increased migration from villages.

 

The report added that in October 2023 there were 143 million crore active workers with the scheme. However, a year-on-year analysis showed that this number dropped to 132 million in October, representing a 8 per cent decline.

 

The Centre made ABPS mandatory in January this year.

 

On the issues, a ministry official told The Print that the number of active workers changes every financial year. Active workers are described as individuals of households who have worked a day in the last three financial years or the current financial year.