The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), India’s largest public job guarantee program, has seen an increase in registered households but a drop in workdays provided, according to a recent report. While registered families grew by 8.6%, average employment days fell by 7.1%.
The study, released on May 19, 2025, by LibTech India a group of academics and social activists—revealed that only 7% of households received the full 100 days of work promised under MGNREGA. Registered families rose from 13.8 crore in FY 2023-24 to 14.98 crore in FY 2024-25. However, average employment per household declined by 4.3%, from 52.42 person-days to 50.18 person-days.
State-wise disparities were stark: Odisha (-34.8%), Tamil Nadu (-25.1%), and Rajasthan (-15.9%) saw the sharpest declines, while Maharashtra (+39.7%), Himachal Pradesh (+14.8%), and Bihar (+13.3%) recorded increases.
Budget Cuts Worsen Crisis:
LibTech attributed the drop in employment to reduced funding and delayed wage payments. A parliamentary standing committee on rural development had earlier flagged these issues. Despite advocacy group PAEG recommending ₹2.64 lakh crore for FY 2023-24, the Centre allocated only ₹86,000 crore a figure unchanged in FY 2024-25.
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