India issues guidelines to reduce MGNREGS job-card deletions

The Ministry of Rural Development in India has introduced new guidelines to address the issue of job card deletions under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). There has been a significant rise in deletions, with over 10 crore workers being removed from the program in the past four years. To manage this, the government now requires that any planned deletions be verified by local village councils, known as gram sabhas. Workers will also be informed about their right to appeal against deletions. This comes amid the government's push for an Aadhaar-based payment system, which officials claim is not linked to the high number of deletions. The guidelines outline that deletions can only occur for specific reasons, such as permanent migration or death of the worker. Even in these cases, the names of those deleted must be made public for at least 30 days. Many previous deletions were cited due to claims of workers being "not willing to work." Under the new rules, gram sabhas will hold meetings twice a year to review job cards flagged for deletion and address any objections. Workers must be briefed on the appeal process, and the reasons for each deletion must be made clear. The guidelines emphasize that any dues owed to workers must be paid before deletions occur.