Editor's Pick | Aadhaar-linked pay made mandatory for MGNREGS workers

From the New Year, wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) will be paid only through an Aadhaar-based payment system (ABPS), which requires the Aadhaar details of workers to be seeded to their job cards. The fifth extension of the deadline to make the system mandatory, giving the State governments time to reconcile databases, ended on Sunday. Since the first push in this direction, the rate at which MGNREGS job cards are deleted has significantly risen, which activists working in the field say is directly linked to the mandatory imposition of this payment method. The first order to enforce the system was issued on January 30, 2023, followed by extensions till February 1, March 31, June 30, August 31, and December 31. Union Rural Development Ministry data show that 34.8% of the job card holders remain ineligible for this mode of payment as on December 27. Government sources, however, say the decision not to extend the deadline again is guided by active workers, rather than job card holders. Active workers are those who have worked for at least one day over the past three financial years. Of the 25.25 crore registered workers, 14.35 crore are categorised as active workers. Sources said that in its communication making the system mandatory, the Ministry has asked the State governments to take a lenient view if linking has not been done for any genuine reason. Anecdotal evidence and ground reports suggest that facing pressure from the Union government to have 100% compliance with the new system, the States have deleted a number of cards ineligible for Aadhaar payments. These includes cases where there were discrepancies between Aadhaar and the job card, due to issues such as different spellings of names. The cards have been deleted citing various reasons, including that the worker was “not willing to work”. LibTech India, a consortium of academics and activists, says the names of 7.6 crore workers have been deleted over the past 21 months. “Compelling the use of ABPS with more than one-third of the total MGNREGS-registered workers rendered ineligible will inevitably lead to the denial of the right to work. This stands in direct contravention to the Act passed by the Parliament,” Chakradhar Buddha, a senior researcher at Lib Tech India says. Editorials Parade of unity: On the need for more objectivity in the selection of tableaux for the Republic Day parade Endgame: On the tripartite agreement between the pro-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom, Union government and the Assam government The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J.P. Nadda on Saturday released a stamp, what was the stamp about? Mumbai Attacks 9/11 incident Demonetisation Arrival of Indian-origin Tamils in Sri Lanka To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 01 January 2024 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Aadhaar-linked pay made mandatory for MGNREGS workers From the New Year, wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) will be paid only through an Aadhaar-based payment system (ABPS), which requires the Aadhaar details of workers to be seeded to their job cards. The fifth extension of the deadline to make the system mandatory, giving the State governments time to reconcile databases, ended on Sunday. Since the first push in this direction, the rate at which MGNREGS job cards are deleted has significantly risen, which activists working in the field say is directly linked to the mandatory imposition of this payment method. The first order to enforce the system was issued on January 30, 2023, followed by extensions till February 1, March 31, June 30, August 31, and December 31. Union Rural Development Ministry data show that 34.8% of the job card holders remain ineligible for this mode of payment as on December 27. Government sources, however, say the decision not to extend the deadline again is guided by active workers, rather than job card holders. Active workers are those who have worked for at least one day over the past three financial years. Of the 25.25 crore registered workers, 14.35 crore are categorised as active workers. Sources said that in its communication making the system mandatory, the Ministry has asked the State governments to take a lenient view if linking has not been done for any genuine reason. Anecdotal evidence and ground reports suggest that facing pressure from the Union government to have 100% compliance with the new system, the States have deleted a number of cards ineligible for Aadhaar payments. These includes cases where there were discrepancies between Aadhaar and the job card, due to issues such as different spellings of names. The cards have been deleted citing various reasons, including that the worker was “not willing to work”. LibTech India, a consortium of academics and activists, says the names of 7.6 crore workers have been deleted over the past 21 months. “Compelling the use of ABPS with more than one-third of the total MGNREGS-registered workers rendered ineligible will inevitably lead to the denial of the right to work. This stands in direct contravention to the Act passed by the Parliament,” Chakradhar Buddha, a senior researcher at Lib Tech India says. 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