Parliament Question: Delay in Wage Payment under MGNREGS

O.I.H.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3880 ANSWERED ON 11/08/2026 DELAY IN WAGE PAYMENT UNDER MGNREGS

3880. Shri Narayandas Ahirwar:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) whether it has come to the notice of the Government that there is a delay in the payment of wages to workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

(MGNREGS) at several places, State and district-wise including Bundelkhand;

(b) if so, the reasons therefor along with the steps taken by the Government to ensure timely payment of wages;

(c) whether the Government proposes to further strengthen the monitoring mechanism to enhance transparency, prevent corruption and ensure that the full benefits of development schemes reach the eligible beneficiaries in rural areas, State and district-wise including Bundelkhand, if so, the details thereof; and

(d) whether the Government proposes to introduce any new scheme or policy to provide sustainable employment at the local level to the youth trained under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana especially the youth from Bundelkhand, upon the completion of their training, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN)

(a) & (b): Under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS the wage payments are directly credited by the Central Government to the accounts of the beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer protocol. At the beginning of each financial year, admissible pending liabilities of the previous years, if any, are duly reimbursed by the Government of India. Accordingly, all due and admissible pending wage liabilities upto FY 2025-26 have already been cleared.

Page 1 of 3Release of funds to States/UTs is a continuous process, subject to submission of proposal and compliance with extant guidelines.

Financial sanctions are issued periodically based on States’ demand for funds, utilisation of previously sanctioned amounts, and receipt of complete proposals with requisite documents, in accordance with the Scheme’s prescribed procedure. During the current financial year (2026–27), ₹912.43 crore has been released to the State of Uttar Pradesh under the wage component of the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS.

(c) & (d): As the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025 has come into force with effect from 1st July, 2026, a comprehensive institutional, community- based and technology-enabled framework has been implemented under the Programme to ensure transparency, accountability, effective monitoring, timely utilisation of funds and achievement of the intended outcomes. Multi-tier monitoring at the Gram Panchayat, Intermediate Panchayat, District, State and National levels, mandatory Social Audit through independent Social Audit Units, public disclosure of records and information, grievance redressal mechanisms, regular inspections and concurrent monitoring are being undertaken as part of the implementation framework.

The implementation is further supported through technology- enabled systems. Attendance is being recorded through the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) to enhance transparency and authenticity, Area Officer monitoring visits are being conducted for independent field verification and assessment of the quality of implementation, assets are being geo-tagged, electronic Measurement Books (e-MB) are being used for recording measurements of works, and real-time monitoring of physical and financial progress is being carried out through the Management Information System (MIS). These measures are applicable across all States and Union Territories, including the Bundelkhand region, to ensure that the benefits of the Scheme reach eligible beneficiaries in a transparent and accountable manner.

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) is one of the cluster of initiatives under Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) aimed at livelihood diversification and poverty reduction. DDU-GKY aims to skill rural youth and promote sustainable livelihoods for rural youth through placement-linked skilling programs. DDU-GKY guideline provides social inclusion of SC/ST (50%), Women (33%), and PwDs (5%).

Page 2 of 3The Ministry has introduced Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana 2.0 (DDU-GKY 2.0) in 2025-26, which focuses on demand-based skilling, industry partnerships, placement-linked training, and emerging job roles to enhance employability and livelihood opportunities for rural youth. DDU-GKY 2.0 emphasizes long-term employment outcomes (minimum 70% placement including maximum 20% self or gig employment for minimum of 6 months) through one year post-placement tracking and support, counselling, migration support, alumni engagement, grievance redressal mechanisms, and opportunities for upskilling/reskilling. Under the revised framework, candidates are required to be tracked and supported for a longer duration to facilitate sustained employment and career progression.

Regular review and time-to-time monitoring are being done for training quality, assessment, placement outcomes thereby contributing to the effective implementation of the scheme, livelihood promotion and timely implementation.

In the Bundelkhand region, 36036 candidates have been trained and 23275 candidates have been placed under the scheme since inception till date. ***** Page 3 of 3