New Delhi: Between October 10 and November 14, 2025, the Ministry of Rural Development removed nearly 27 lakh workers from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) database. This marks the highest number of deletions recorded in a single month since the scheme was launched. The development coincides with the Centre’s accelerated Aadhaar-based e-KYC verification campaign, prompting scrutiny of the procedures used to update the beneficiary list.
Official records from the Ministry show that approximately 27 lakh MGNREGA workers were deleted during the period under review, compared to 10.5 lakh new worker additions. The number of deletions during this period is significantly higher than the figure recorded between April and September 2025, when roughly 15 lakh workers were removed.
The deletions occurred at a time when the government was implementing mandatory Aadhaar-based e-KYC across the scheme. The Centre has described the initiative as a measure intended to identify duplicate, inactive, or ineligible job card holders and to improve data accuracy in the national database. The Ministry has stated that the increase in deletions is not directly linked to the e-KYC requirement. According to officials, the process is part of routine verification aimed at maintaining updated records and ensuring that only eligible beneficiaries remain on the rolls. The Ministry has also reiterated that the deletions follow existing guidelines for record maintenance.
Statutory Provisions and Verification Requirements
MGNREGA, established through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, mandates that each rural household with adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual labour is entitled to 100 days of wage employment per financial year. The Act requires transparency in implementing agencies and directs Gram Panchayats to maintain the job card register, including additions and deletions.
The current deletions have revived discussion on compliance with legal standards governing welfare schemes. The centralised Aadhaar-based verification system involves biometric authentication, which legal analysts say may circumvent local-level verification traditionally overseen by Panchayats under Section 16 of the Act. Concerns have been raised regarding procedural safeguards. Legal experts note that deletions involving active or eligible beneficiaries could conflict with Supreme Court rulings that highlight the need for due process in welfare programmes. Past judgments have emphasised that beneficiaries must not be excluded without proper notice and an opportunity to respond.
In West Bengal, the issue has intersected with ongoing litigation. The Calcutta High Court directed the resumption of MGNREGA work from August 1, 2025, following a period of halted funding. The Centre’s appeal was dismissed by the Supreme Court on October 27, 2025. Subsequently, organisations such as the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha have warned of protests over alleged delays in restoring employment and ensuring compliance with court directives.
Regional Disparities and Field Findings
A study conducted by LibTech India reported significant declines in workdays across several states, with Andhra Pradesh showing a 13.6% reduction between April and September 2025. This decrease was higher than the national average drop of 10.4%. The study also recorded sharper declines among Scheduled Castes (18.7%) and Scheduled Tribes (17%), indicating that marginalised groups may be experiencing disproportionate reductions in employment access.
The report showed that household participation in MGNREGA in Andhra Pradesh fell from 42.79 lakh households to 40.74 lakh over the same six-month period. Researchers attributed the decline partly to difficulties faced by workers during the e-KYC authentication process. Document mismatches, biometric failures, and limited access to enrolment centres have been cited as factors preventing completion of verification.
Worker unions and civil society groups have reported cases where individuals unable to complete biometric verification were removed from the database despite being active participants in the scheme. These organisations have called for alternative verification options and improved grievance-redressal systems.
The Ministry of Rural Development has stated that workers whose names were deleted have the option to reapply for job cards and complete re-verification. Officials have said that deletions are being conducted according to established protocols and that the system allows reinstatement of eligible workers after verification. However, the absence of a formal mechanism specifically addressing grievances related to deletions has been noted by labour organisations and field researchers. They argue that existing procedures may be insufficient for workers who lack documentation, face authentication failures, or live in remote areas with limited access to administrative offices.
The government maintains that the verification process is essential for ensuring the reliability of the MGNREGA database. The Ministry has also said that detailed reviews are being conducted to identify and rectify any technical issues arising during the Aadhaar-based authentication process.
The removal of 27 lakh MGNREGA workers within a short period represents a major administrative event in the scheme’s implementation. Although the Ministry has described the deletions as part of routine verification, the timing and scale of the exercise during the e-KYC rollout have led to legal and policy discussions regarding procedural fairness, state-level disparities, and the protection of worker entitlements. As the Centre continues to update records and courts monitor compliance with existing orders, stakeholders across the rural employment ecosystem are assessing the long-term implications of verification-driven deletions. Civil society groups and researchers continue to examine the impact on work availability, access to entitlements, and the inclusion of vulnerable communities in one of India’s largest social protection programmes.
