Mon May 19 16:27:11 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary and a news article based on the provided text:
**Summary:**
A recent report by LibTech India reveals a concerning trend in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for FY 2024-25. While the scheme’s reach has expanded, with more households registered, the actual employment provided has decreased. Average workdays per household are down, and only a small percentage receive the promised 100 days of work. Regional disparities persist, and key factors contributing to the decline include inadequate budget allocation and delays in wage payments. Although worker deletions were a major concern in previous years, that trend has been partially reversed with a higher rate of additions than deletions in FY 2024-25, particularly after the Ministry of Rural Development issued SOPs on reinstatements.
**News Article:**
**MGNREGS Reach Expands, But Employment Delivery Falters, Report Finds**
**New Delhi, May 19, 2025** – While registration under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has seen an increase, the program is struggling to deliver on its promise of guaranteed employment, according to a new report by LibTech India.
The report, released today, reveals that despite an 8.6% rise in registered households under MGNREGS in the 2024-25 financial year, person-days of employment have decreased by 7.1%. This represents a concerning mismatch between the scheme’s coverage and its actual impact on employment.
Average workdays per household have fallen to just 50.18 days, down from 52.42 days in the previous year. Furthermore, only 7% of households received the 100 days of work guaranteed under the MGNREG Act.
“This trend raises questions about systemic and implementation-level challenges that continue to constrain the programme’s effectiveness,” the LibTech report states.
Significant regional variations persist, with Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan experiencing the sharpest declines in person-days. Inadequate budget allocation and delayed wage payments are cited as key contributing factors to the overall employment drop. Concerns about budget reductions have been previously raised by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development.
There is some positive news regarding worker deletions. While a staggering 7.8 crore workers were deleted between 2022 and 2024, the trend has reversed in FY 2024-25. The number of additions spiked after the Ministry of Rural Development issued new guidelines on reinstating deleted job cards and workers.
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