Concerns surrounding the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) have escalated following assertions made by the Union government in Parliament. On December 4, 2024, government representatives claimed that there was no central involvement in the deletion of job cards and that funds were disbursed promptly. In response, the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha, a prominent organization advocating for MGNREGA workers, strongly refuted these claims. During a press conference in New Delhi, they announced plans to conduct a two-day protest at Jantar Mantar starting December 5. They argue that government declarations are disconnected from the realities faced by workers on the ground, particularly in terms of budgetary allocations and the deletion of job cards.
Economist Jean Dreze, who led the press conference, critiqued the claims of the Minister of State for Rural Development, Chandrashekhar Pemmasani, labeling them as misleading. He noted that while the government asserted it had increasing the MGNREGA budget by ₹20,000 crore annually, the actual funding procedures reveal a more complicated picture. Dreze highlighted that although Fund Transfer Orders are generated quickly, the disbursement of wages to workers often suffers delays, sometimes spanning weeks or even months. Workers are facing considerable hardships due to inadequate upfront budget allocations, leading to a work shortage and delayed payments for tasks performed.
The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha has recommended that the MGNREGA budget be increased to at least 2% of the GDP to ensure that all individuals seeking work receive the legally guaranteed 100 days of employment per fiscal year. Current allocations stand at ₹86,000 crore, which covers only 34 days of work at the prevailing average wage rate, a situation that exacerbates economic strain amidst rising inflation. Afsana Khatun from Jharkhand NREGA Watch urged the government to raise wages to ₹800 per day, reflecting the increasing cost of living, and suggested that the government must prioritize timely and adequate funding for this critical employment scheme.
Highlighting structural challenges, the organization pointed to official guidelines mandating the Union government to transfer wages within seven days upon receiving electronic invoices from States. However, a review of 3.2 crore wage transactions from FY 21-22 indicated a concerning 63% of wage payments were delayed beyond this stipulated timeframe. The struggles faced by workers were further magnified by the introduction of the Aadhaar-Based Payments System (ABPS) and online attendance tracking through the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS), which have been criticized as being opaque and unjustified. Jitendra Paswan from Bihar emphasized that persistent connectivity issues and technical faults in the NMMS application have adversely affected workers, leading to lost attendance records and withheld wages.
Amidst these challenges, Chakradhar Buddha from LibTech pointed out that the significant rise in job card deletions has coincided with the ABPS implementation. Over 9 crore names have reportedly been removed since FY 2022-23, exacerbating the struggle for workers seeking to access their rightful benefits. Ambarish Soren, an MGNREGA worker from West Bengal, condemned the freeze on funds to the state imposed by the Central government since December 2021. This funding blockade has stalled MGNREGA work for over three years, leaving many workers unpaid for their contributions, which is severely affecting their livelihoods. He addressed the questionable justification for the fund freeze, citing allegations of corruption in West Bengal without any accountability measures taken against the unproven claims.
As the situation develops, protests by MGNREGA workers scheduled for December 5 are expected to spotlight these issues, demanding the government take immediate action to rectify the delays and systemic inadequacies plaguing the employment guarantee scheme. The ongoing discourse reflects deeper concerns about the state of rural employment initiatives in India and the commitment of the government to uphold the rights of its most vulnerable workforce. The stark disconnect between government assurances and the lived experiences of MGNREGA workers underscores the urgent need for reforms and transparent policies that prioritize timely wage disbursement and proper funding allocation.
