e-KYC Drive Triggers Mass Deletions in MGNREGA Worker Records

MGNREGA Latest News

• The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) covers nearly 26 crore registered workers across 2.69 lakh gram panchayats. Over the past six months, around 15 lakh workers were removed from the database. 
• However, within just one month — from October 10 to November 14, 2025 — deletions spiked to 27 lakh, far exceeding the 10.5 lakh new additions during the same period.
• This unprecedented rise in deletions coincides with the Union government’s intensified push for mandatory e-KYC verification to identify and remove ineligible or duplicate beneficiaries. 
• Concerns are growing that the verification drive may be excluding genuine workers who struggle with documentation or biometric-related issues.

Legal Provisions on Job Cards

• Under Para 2 of Schedule II, Gram Panchayats must issue job cards within 15 days of receiving an application.
• Job cards must include a unique number, registration details, insurance details, and Aadhaar numbers (if any).
• As per Para 3 of Schedule II, job cards must be renewed every five years after proper verification.
• States, through Panchayati Raj Institutions, are responsible for issuance, verification, and renewal.

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Government’s Rationale for e-KYC Push

• The Union Ministry of Rural Development has stated that verifying MGNREGA workers is an ongoing exercise, and e-KYC is an additional step to enhance transparency and efficiency. 
• According to the Ministry, the digital verification process is intended to improve service delivery and reduce inclusion errors. 
• So far, over 56% of active workers have completed e-KYC across States, indicating steady progress in the verification drive.

Methods of Worker Verification

• Before the introduction of e-KYC, the government relied on multiple digital and Aadhaar-linked verification measures to prevent ineligible beneficiaries under MGNREGA:
  • Digital Attendance (NMMS App): After a year-long pilot from May 2022, workers’ attendance had to be captured via the National Mobile Monitoring System. Mates/supervisors uploaded geotagged photos twice daily from worksites.
  • Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS): Made mandatory in January 2023, ABPS required workers’ Aadhaar to be linked with job cards and bank accounts.
  • NPCI Mapping Requirements: Workers’ Aadhaar numbers and banks’ IINs had to be mapped with the NPCI database to enable Aadhaar-based payments.
• These steps aimed to tighten verification, reduce duplication, and ensure payments reached genuine workers.

e-KYC Process

• Under the e-KYC system integrated into the NMMS app, supervisors photograph each MNREGA worker at the worksite. 
• This image is then digitally matched with the worker’s Aadhaar database photo to verify identity instantly.
• Since 99.67% of active workers have Aadhaar seeded, e-KYC provides a quick, accurate, and reliable verification method.

Link Between e-KYC Drive and MNREGA Worker Deletions

• Earlier digital measures — NMMS for attendance and Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS) — were introduced to improve transparency but instead caused widespread exclusion.
• Issues included poor network connectivity, limited digital literacy, and technical failures that prevented attendance capture, leading to wage loss.

Aadhaar Seeding and Data Mismatch Problems

• ABPS required perfect matching of Aadhaar details with job cards and bank accounts.
• Minor spelling differences in names or demographic discrepancies frequently caused workers’ records to be rejected.
• During ABPS rollout, deletions surged by 247% between 2021-22 and 2022-23.

Failures in NMMS Implementation

• NMMS did not deliver the intended transparency. Problems included:
  • Uploading irrelevant or fake photos
  • Photo-to-photo capturing instead of live images
  • Large mismatches between actual and recorded attendance
• To fix this, the government introduced a multi-level verification system, with 100% verification at gram panchayat level and reduced checks at higher levels.

Introduction of e-KYC Due to NMMS Shortcomings

• e-KYC was introduced partly because NMMS verification was unreliable.
• The new system seeks to validate identity using live photo matching with Aadhaar.

Government Denies a Direct Link

• The government claims deletions follow a strict SOP issued in January, ensuring transparency and allowing appeals before deletion.
• It rejects claims that e-KYC itself is causing deletions.
• Despite government denial, States with high e-KYC completion rates are reporting massive deletions:
  • Andhra Pradesh: 78.4% e-KYC done → 15.92 lakh deletions
  • Tamil Nadu: 67.6% → 30,529 deletions
  • Chhattisgarh: 66.6% → 1.04 lakh deletions
• This raises questions about whether the e-KYC drive is indirectly contributing to exclusion.

Overall Assurance

• The Ministry affirms its dedication to:
  • Protecting the rights of every genuine MGNREGA worker
  • Ensuring uninterrupted wage employment
  • Maintaining transparency, accountability, and effectiveness in scheme implementation

Source: TH | PIB