In the last four years, 10.43 crore MGNREGS workers have been deleted from the programme. File
| Photo Credit: Debasish Bhaduri
To tackle the challenge of high rate of deletions of job cards issued to workers under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the Ministry of Rural Development has come up with guidelines that includes verification from gram sabha and keeping the list of job cards intended for deletions in public domain allowing the holder to raise objections.
In the last four years, 10.43 crore workers have been deleted from the programme. In 2021-22, 1.49 crores were removed which jumped by 247% in 2022-23 with the deletion of 5.53 crore workers. The high rate of deletions has coincided with the government’s push for an Aadhaar-based payment system. In January 2023, the Ministry of Rural Development mandated the nationwide implementation of the Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS) for MGNREGS. But the government continues to assert that there is no correlation between the deletions and making the ABPS mandatory.
In the recent 10-page guidelines given to the State Governments, the Centre has said that all job card or workers deletions should take place only after due verification in the gram sabha held for for approving the shelf of works under MGNREGS, or in the social audit gram sabha, or in a special gram sabha called for the purpose.
The deletions can be done only for reasons such as permanent migration of the household to urban areas or to a different panchayat, the gram panchayat being declared as urban settlement, the card proved to be a duplicate, registration based on forged documents or the death of the worker. Even under these conditions the name of the deleted workers/ job cards have to be published in public domain for at least 30-days, according to the guidelines.
Many of the deletions so far stated the reason as “not willing to work”. The guideline says that in such cases where the job card holder is formally requesting deletion, prior written request has to be sent by the household or the worker.
Right to appeal cancellations
Twice a year, the guideline suggests, gram sabhas have to be convened to discuss the draft list of job cards/workers flagged for deletions and the respective objections received. At these assemblies, the households have to be informed of their right to appeal job card cancellations, with clear guidelines on the appeal process. The cause of deletion of each job card also has to be revealed. Each cause of deletion must be confirmed by the gram sabha and all inputs and decisions must be minuted.
Before carrying out the deletion dues of the workers should be paid off, the guidelines has recommended.
Published – March 25, 2025 12:06 am IST