**Executive Summary**
This document addresses the deletion of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers. It provides information regarding the deletion of 16.31 lakh workers between October 10 and November 14, 2025 and outlines the reasons for the deletions and the process undertaken by the Ministry of Rural Development. A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was issued on 25.01.2025 to States/UTs for deletion and restoration of job cards.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Job Card Deletion:**
* 16.31 lakh workers' job cards were deleted between October 10 and November 14, 2025.
* Deletions occur due to fake/duplicate/incorrect job cards, families shifting from Gram Panchayat, Gram Panchayat being classified as urban, or death of the sole job card member.
* States/UTs must comply with the MGNREGS Act and the Ministry's SOP when deleting job cards.
* **Standard Operating Procedure (SOP):**
* The Ministry issued an SOP on 25.01.2025 to States/UTs with guidelines for deletion and restoration of job cards.
* The SOP promotes transparency, protects worker rights, defines deletion conditions, and establishes a grievance redressal mechanism.
* The SOP mandates publication of draft lists, verification at Gram Sabhas, and the right to appeal.
* Linking job cards with Aadhaar is required to eliminate duplicates and fraud.
* **Technology Implementation:**
* States/UTs must capture attendance at worksites using the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) App with geo-tagged photographs.
* The NMMS implementation began on January 1, 2023.
* The Aadhar Payment Bridge System (APBS) was made mandatory on January 1, 2024, to ensure timely wage payments.
* Job cards cannot be deleted solely due to NMMS or lack of Aadhaar/e-KYC linking.
* **Worker Statistics:**
* During FY 2025-26, States/UTs deleted 54.02 lakh workers and added 118.57 lakh new workers.
**Impact Analysis**
**States/Union Territories (UTs)**
* **Impact:** Required to follow the Ministry's guidelines and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for deletion and restoration of job cards.
* **Action Required:** Implement the NMMS app for attendance capture, adhere to the SOP for job card deletions, and implement the APBS for wage payments.
**MGNREGS Workers**
* **Impact:** Potential for job card deletion if criteria are met, but also provided with a grievance redressal mechanism and a right to appeal.
* **Action Required:** Ensure job cards are linked with Aadhaar and bank accounts are updated. Participate in the verification process at Gram Sabhas if their job cards are marked for deletion.
**Ministry of Rural Development**
* **Impact:** Responsible for ensuring the integrity of the MGNREGS and timely payment of wages.
* **Action Required:** Monitor States/UTs compliance with the SOP and technology implementation, and address any issues arising from the deletion and inclusion of workers.
Key Entities Referenced
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS): A demand-driven wage employment scheme aimed at enhancing livelihood security of households in rural areas of the country by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
Ministry of Rural Development: The central government ministry responsible for the implementation of MGNREGS and related rural development initiatives. They issue guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
e-KYC: Electronic Know Your Customer, which is being used in this context to enforce identification and verification of MGNREGS workers, potentially leading to worker exclusion.
States/UTs: The States and Union Territories are responsible for implementing MGNREGS, including the updation and deletion of job cards.
Aadhaar Based Payment System: A system used for disbursing wages under MGNREGS by linking payments to beneficiaries' Aadhaar numbers.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1603
ANSWERED ON 09/12/2025
DELETION OF MGNREGS WORKERS
1603. Shri Vijayakumar Alias Vijay Vasanth:
Shri V K Sreekandan:
Shri Suresh Kumar Shetkar:
Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government confirms deleting nearly twenty
seven lakh Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers between October 10
and November 14, if so, the details thereof and if not, the
reasons therefor;
(b) whether the Government acknowledges mass deletions
coincided with aggressive e-KYC enforcement, if not, the
reasons for denying correlation despite clear timing and
widespread worker exclusion reports;
(c) whether the Government examined why one month’s deletions
nearly doubled the previous six months’ total, if so, the findings
thereof and if not, the reasons for failing to investigate;
(d) whether the Government is aware that over six lakh deleted
persons were active MGNREGS workers, if so, the justification
for removal and if not, the reasons for failing to identify active
beneficiaries;
(e) whether the Government would explain why States with higher
e-KYC completion rates show disproportionate deletions, if so,
the details thereof and if not, the reasons for such patterns
remain unaddressed;
(f) whether the National Mobile Monitoring System used for
digitally capturing attendance of workers and the Aadhaar
Based Payment System used for disbursing wages have
already excluded an estimated two core workers from
accessing their legal entitlements under the MGNREGS;
(g) whether the net additions had fallen to 66.5 lakh by mid-
November, 2025, effectively wiping out 17 lakh workers in a
single month; and
(h) if so, the details thereof?
Page 1 of 3ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN)
(a)to (e): Mahatma Gandhi NREGS is a demand-driven wage
employment scheme and the responsibility of implementation of the
Scheme is vested with the Government of concerned States/UTs.
Updation/deletion of Job Cards is a regular exercise conducted by
the States/UTs. Job cards have been deleted mainly for the reasons
such as fake/duplicate/incorrect job cards, family shifted from Gram
Panchayat permanently, Gram Panchayat classified as Urban and
there was only one member in the job card and he/she has expired
etc. However, while deleting/ removing workers/Job cards,
States/UTs have to ensure compliance with provisions of the Act
and the Standard Operating Procedure issued by the Ministry to
ensure that no job card of deserving or eligible household is
deleted/cancelled. As per NREGASoft, a total of 16.31 lakh workers
were deleted between 10 October and 14 November 2025.
To streamline the process of deletion of Job cards, Ministry of
Rural Development had issued a Standard Operating Procedure
(SOP) vide letter dated 25.01.2025 to all States/Union Territories,
with clear guidelines for deletion and restoration of job cards. The
SOP ensures compliance with the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS
guidelines, promotes transparency, protects the rights of workers
by defining conditions for deletion, setting up a grievance redressal
mechanism, and ensure the settlement of pending liabilities if any
before deletion/cancellation.
The SOP emphasizes the importance of due process, including
the publication of draft lists of job cards marked for deletion,
verification at Gram Sabhas, and the right of appeal for affected
workers. It also mandates the linking of job cards with Aadhaar to
eliminate duplicate and fraudulent entries. These measures are
aimed at preventing misuse of job cards while ensuring that genuine
beneficiaries are not excluded. The Ministry is committed to
maintaining the integrity of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS and ensuring
that the benefits of the scheme reaches the eligible rural
households.
(f): To ensure transparency and accountability in the
implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS), the Ministry has
decided that States/UTs shall ensure capturing of attendance at the
Page 2 of 3worksite through National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) App
with two-time stamped, geo-tagged photographs of the workers in a
day for all the works (except Individual Beneficiary Work) through
NMMS w.e.f. 1st January, 2023.
Further, in order to ensure timely payment of wages to the
beneficiaries under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS) and to address the
issues arising due to frequent changes in bank account numbers of
the beneficiaries and subsequent non-updation, it was decided
to implement Aadhar Payment Bridge System (APBS). This has been
made mandatory with effect from 1st January 2024.
It is stated that Job cards can not be deleted due to reasons of
NMMS and non-linking of bank accounts with Aadhar or e-KYC.
(g)&(h): As per NREGASoft, during FY 2025-26 (as on 05.12.2025),
States/UTs deleted a total of 54.02 lakh workers, while 118.57 lakh
new workers were added during the same period.
*****
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