Govt, under fire over MGNREGS enrolment drop, says no fixed targets for demand-driven scheme

NEW DELHI: The government on Sunday dismissed reports suggesting that enrolment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is declining, noting that it is not possible to set targets for total enrolment in this demand-driven scheme as the financial year is still ongoing.

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According to a report by LibTech India on MGNREGS implementation, there has been an 8 per cent drop in the number of active workers under the scheme compared to last year. Fewer people participated in MGNREGS during the first six months of this financial year (April-September) compared to the same period last year, a recent analysis by LibTech indicated. The report added that the net deletion of worker names from the list of registered workers stood at around 39 lakh during this period.

The analysis showed that while 85 lakh workers were removed, only 45 lakh were added to the list of registered MGNREGS workers, resulting in a net deletion of 39 lakh. The report also raised concerns about wrongful deletions. "Since MGNREGS is a demand-driven scheme and the current financial year is still ongoing, it is not possible to set an exact target for person-days generation",

However, the states/UTs may submit proposals for labour budget reviH sions based on locally identified needs," the Rural Development Ministry said in a statement.

"It should be noted that the total person-days generated between FY 2006-07 and FY 2013-14 was 1,660 crore, whereas the total person-days between FY 2014-15 and FY 2024-25 has been 2,923 crore," it added.

The Lib Tech report highlighted a significant decline in employment opportunities under the scheme, from 184 crore to 154 crore person-days compared to the previous year.

The report also stated that 27.4 per cent of all workers, or 6.7 crore people, are ineligible to receive wages through the Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS).

Lib Tech describes itself as a team of engineers, social workers, and social scientists focused on improving public service delivery in India.