Sun Nov 16 15:43:42 UTC 2025: Summary:
A recent analysis by Lib Tech reveals a dramatic increase in the deletion of workers’ names from the MGNREGA database in India. Nearly 2.7 million names were removed between October 10 and November 14, 2025, significantly more than the 1.05 million additions during the same period. This spike coincides with the government’s push for e-KYC verification to eliminate ineligible beneficiaries. While the Rural Development Ministry denies a direct link, officials cite the need for continuous job card verification and renewal, and problems related to use of National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) to upload worker photos. Experts argue that this wave of deletions mirrors the introduction of Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS), which also caused mass exclusions due to stringent verification requirements. Concerns are raised about the impact of new technologies on genuine workers.
News Article:
MGNREGA Database Sees Mass Deletions Amidst E-KYC Push, Raising Exclusion Concerns
New Delhi – November 16, 2025 – A new report highlights a sharp surge in the removal of workers’ names from the database of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), raising concerns about potential exclusions of eligible beneficiaries. According to an analysis by Lib Tech, a consortium of activists and academics, a staggering 2.7 million workers were deleted from the scheme’s database between October 10 and November 14, 2025. This figure is nearly double the 1.5 million deletions recorded over the previous six months.
The mass removals coincide with the Union government’s intensified efforts to implement e-KYC (electronic Know Your Customer) verification for all MGNREGA workers, intended to weed out ineligible recipients. While the Ministry of Rural Development denies a direct correlation, a senior official stated that job card verification is an ongoing process handled by state governments and gram panchayats. The official also noted that job cards are due for renewal every five years and that standard operating procedures for deletions are followed. The e-KYC process requires supervisors to upload workers’ photos for Aadhaar matching and was meant to resolve problems that had arisen with use of the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS).
Lib Tech’s analysis also revealed that 600,000 of those deleted were active workers, defined as those who have worked at least one day in the past three years. States with high e-KYC completion rates, such as Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Chhattisgarh, are experiencing the highest number of deletions.
Critics argue that this situation mirrors the introduction of the Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS) in 2023, which also led to significant exclusions due to strict verification requirements, including demographic matching across Aadhaar, job cards, and bank accounts. Chakradhar Buddha, a senior researcher at Lib Tech, cautioned against the indiscriminate introduction of new technologies without a thorough assessment of their impact on genuine workers. The sudden surge in deletions, he added, highlights the potential for new technologies to create barriers and trigger large-scale exclusions despite the stated aim of strengthening verification.
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