The government issues an average of 60 lakh new job cards annually under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), with deletions handled based on specific parameters, as clarified in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Minister of State for Rural Development, Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, emphasized that Aadhaar-seeding of job cards enhances transparency and denied any central government role in card deletions.
Pemmasani was addressing a question raised by Congress leader K. C. Venugopal, who claimed that over 10.43 crore MGNREGS workers’ names were deleted in the past four years. Venugopal further inquired whether these deletions were tied to Aadhaar-seeding requirements.
Transparency Through Aadhaar-Seeding
The minister explained that 99% of MGNREGS job cardholders have linked their cards to Aadhaar, which aims to ensure transparency in the scheme. “Aadhaar-seeding is not an obstacle but a tool to increase accountability,” Pemmasani said during the Question Hour.
Reasons for Job Card Deletions
He clarified that job cards are deleted based on five primary factors:
- Detection of fake or duplicate cards.
- Individuals moving from one panchayat to another.
- Death of a job cardholder.
- Individuals opting out of the scheme voluntarily.
- Areas transitioning from rural to urban classification.
Pemmasani underlined that the responsibility for these deletions lies with state governments, reiterating that “the central government has no role whatsoever in job card deletions.”
Annual Data on Job Cards
On average, 30 lakh job cards are deleted annually for the above reasons. Currently, there are 13-14 crore total job cards issued under the scheme, of which approximately 9.2 crore are active, according to the minister.
Budget Allocation for MGNREGS
The minister highlighted that 57% of the rural development budget is allocated to MGNREGS, signifying its importance in supporting rural employment. He affirmed the government’s commitment to maintaining transparency and addressing the needs of rural workers through the scheme.
