Centre pushes e-KYC to boost transparency in MGNREGA, says 99.67% workers’ Aadhaar details seeded

The Ministry of Rural Development highlighted that 99.67% of active Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) workers’ Aadhaar details are already seeded, with the e-KYC offering a “simple, reliable, accurate and efficient” method for verification.

MGNREGA, one of the world’s largest social security programmes, currently spans 2.69 lakh Gram Panchayats and has over 26 crore registered workers.

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Under the Act, Gram Panchayats are mandated to issue job cards within 15 days of receiving an application, following due enquiry.

The Act also requires job cards to be renewed every five years, after verification by Panchayat Raj Institutions.

To support states in managing these statutory responsibilities, the Ministry has encouraged them to use the e-KYC feature available on the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) app.

Using e-KYC, a Gram Rojgar Sahayak, worksite supervisor, mate or other Panchayat-level functionary captures the worker’s photograph through the NMMS app, which is automatically matched with Aadhaar records in real time.

The process takes less than a minute per worker, officials said. Verification can be conducted at worksites or special camps organized by Gram Panchayats, with states advised to resolve connectivity issues to ensure smooth execution.

So far, states have completed e-KYC for more than 56% of active MGNREGA workers.

Addressing concerns about deletion of job cards, the Ministry said a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued on 24 January 2025 provides uniform and transparent guidelines for states.

The SOP includes safeguards to prevent arbitrary or wrongful deletions and mandates strict state-level adherence, with central monitoring in place.

The Ministry stressed that it remains committed to protecting the entitlements of all genuine rural households under MGNREGA.

“The Ministry remains firmly committed to ensuring transparency and accountability in the implementation of the scheme at the field level and to safeguarding the rights of every genuine worker,” it said, adding that no household should face disruption in receiving wage employment due to administrative lapses.

It also noted that states and ground-level functionaries have been adequately trained and sensitized to ensure the verification process proceeds smoothly.