This document summarizes the Indian government's response to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4209, answered on August 19, 2025, regarding wage rates under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). The Ministry of Rural Development clarifies that wage rates vary across states and union territories. These rates are determined by the central government based on the Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labour (CPI-AL), and are revised annually, effective April 1st. The Labour Bureau Shimla provides the CPI-AL index which varies across States/UTs. To protect beneficiaries, if the calculated wage rate for a given year is lower than the previous year's rate, the previous year's rate is maintained. However, individual states/UTs have the option to provide wages exceeding the centrally notified rate. For the financial year 2025-26, the revised wage rates reflect an average increase of approximately 5% compared to FY 2024-25. The document includes an annexure listing the state/UT-wise notified wage rates for unskilled workers under MGNREGS for FY 2025-26, ranging from ₹241 to ₹400.
Key Entities Referenced
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme: A flagship rural employment scheme in India, ensuring livelihood security to households in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005: The legal framework that established the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), mandating the provision of wage employment.
Ministry of Rural Development: The Indian government ministry responsible for implementing rural development programs, including MGNREGS.
Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labour: An index used by the Government of India to determine and revise the wage rates under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). The index varies across States and Union Territories.
Labour Bureau Shimla: The organization that notifies the Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labour (CPIAL) for different States and Union Territories (UTs) which is used to determine MGNREGS wage rates.
Andhra Pradesh: A state in India, where the FY 2025-26 wage rate for unskilled workers under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS is INR 307.
Haryana: A state in India, where the FY 2025-26 wage rate for unskilled workers under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS is INR 400.
West Bengal: A state in India, where the FY 2025-26 wage rate for unskilled workers under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS is INR 260.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4209
ANSWERED ON 19/08/2025
DIFFERENCE IN WAGE RATES
4209. Shri Subbarayan K:
Com. Selvaraj V:
Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:
(a) whether it is a fact that the various State Governments have
different wage rates for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers; and
(b) if so, the details of the wage rate prevailing in different States
and the criteria on which the wage rates are fixed in the States?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN)
(a)&(b): As per Section 6 (1) of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA), 2005, the
Central Government may, by notification, specify the wage rate for its
beneficiaries. The Government of India has been determining the wage
rates using the Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labour (CPI-
AL) from the year 2011-12.
The Ministry of Rural Development revises the wage rate every
financial year based on change in Consumer Price Index for
Agricultural Labour (CPI-AL). The index is different for different
States/UTs as notified by Labour Bureau Shimla. If the calculated wage
rate of any State/UT as per the index for the current year results in
lower wage rate than the wage rate of previous year, it is being
protected by maintaining the previous year's wage rate. The revised
wage rate is made applicable from 1st April of each financial year.
However, each State/UT can provide wages over and above the wage
rate notified by the Central Government.
Using the above methodology, Central Government has revised
the notified wage rate for FY 2025-26 which is around 5% (average)
more than of FY 2024-25.
State/UT-wise notified wage rates for unskilled workers under
Mahatma Gandhi NREGS in current financial year 2025-26 are given
at Annexure.
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Page 1 of 2Annexure
Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a)&(b) of LokSabhaUnstarred
Question No. 4209 dated 19.08.2025.
State/UT-wise notified wage rates for unskilled workers under Mahatma
Gandhi NREGS in the current financial year 2025-26. (inRs.)
Sl. No. State/UTs FY 2025-26
1 Andhra Pradesh 307
2 Arunachal Pradesh 241
3 Assam 256
4 Bihar 255
5 Chhattisgarh 261
6 Goa 378
7 Gujarat 288
8 Haryana 400
9 Himachal Pradesh Non-Scheduled Areas 247
9(a) Himachal Pradesh Scheduled Areas 309
10 Jammu and Kashmir 272
11 Ladakh 272
12 Jharkhand 255
13 Karnataka 370
14 Kerala 369
15 Madhya Pradesh 261
16 Maharashtra 312
17 Manipur 284
18 Meghalaya 272
19 Mizoram 281
20 Nagaland 241
21 Odisha 273
22 Punjab 346
23 Rajasthan 281
24 Sikkim 259
Sikkim (three Gram Panchayats named 389
24 (a) Gyanthang, Lachung and Lachen)
25 Tamil Nadu 336
26 Telangana 307
27 Tripura 256
28 Uttar Pradesh 252
29 Uttarakhand 252
30 West Bengal 260
Andaman District 342
Andaman and Nicobar
31 Nicobar District 361
32 Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 340
33 Lakshadweep 336
34 Puducherry 336
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