Raja Syed Rather
In the financial year 2023-24, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) has recorded 108,263 active workers being deleted or canceled from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), marking a significant increase compared to 44,227 deletions in 2022-23.
The reasons for deletion typically include issues like fake, duplicate, or incorrect job cards, families permanently shifting out of the Gram Panchayat, or the classification of a village as urban.
As per the data provided in the Lok Sabha by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development, Kamlesh Paswan, 108,263 active workers were removed from the scheme in J&K during this period, a significant increase from 44,227 workers deleted in the previous year (2022-23).
This surge places J&K at 13th position nationwide in terms of the number of deletions.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS) is a demand-driven wage employment program, with the responsibility of its implementation lying with the respective State/UT Governments.
An important part of the scheme is the regular updation and deletion of job cards, which is carried out by the States/UTs to maintain the accuracy and eligibility of workers. While performing deletions or removals, the States/UTs are required to comply with the provisions of the MGNREGA Act to ensure that no deserving or eligible household’s job card is deleted or canceled.
