Massive spike in MGNREGS deletions as 27 lakh workers removed in one month

10.5 LAKH WORKERS WERE ADDED IN THE SAME PERIOD

- MPOST BUREAU

A sharp and unexpected spike in deletions from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has raised concern after a new report recorded the removal of around 27 lakh workers nationwide between October 10 and November 14. The six-monthly assessment by Lib Tech India called the volume of deletions "highly unusual" and noted that the period coincided with new authentication requirements for workers.

According to the consortium of academicians and activists, the purge unfolded at the same time that the Union Rural Development Ministry made electronic-Know Your Customer mandatory for all active workers from November 1, 2025. The report noted that although roughly 10.5 lakh new workers were added to the database during the same period, the scale of deletions overshadowed those additions. "Such a large volume of deletions concentrated in one month is highly unusual," the report said.