Surge in Worker Deletions
The number of deletion of workers from job cards surged due to a drive to increase Aadhaar seeding compliance for MGNREGA workers.
A total of 5.53 crore deletions occurred in FY 2022-23, a 247% increase from the previous year.
Officials, under pressure to show high Aadhaar compliance, resorted to deleting workers' names arbitrarily to improve compliance statistics.
Relation to Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS)
The surge in deletions coincided with the government's mandate to make Aadhaar-based payment systems (ABPS) mandatory.
For ABPS to function, workers’ Aadhaar numbers had to be linked to their job cards, leading to forced deletions to meet targets.
Procedure for Deletions
Deletions are supposed to follow strict procedures outlined in MGNREGA rules, including verification and hearings for affected workers.
Workers can only be deleted for reasons like migration, duplicate registration, or forged documents.
Deletions must be verified by a Programme Officer and documented properly, with updates in the MGNREGA Management Information System (MIS).
In practice, deletions often occur without proper verification or worker knowledge, and the reasons for deletion are frequently arbitrary, such as "not willing to work" or "village becomes urban."
Challenges and Irregularities
Many deletions were done without following due process, including the required Gram Sabha consultations.
The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has not conducted proper verification of deletion reasons, further undermining transparency and fairness.
The government's official stance of “regular updates” ignores the arbitrariness of deletions and the violations of workers' rights.
Recommendations for Reform
To prevent irregular deletions, adherence to verification protocols, regular audits, and involvement of Gram Sabhas in decision-making is essential.
Worker representatives should be included in the process to ensure fairness and transparency.
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