Srinagar, Feb 05 (KNO): In the financial year 2023-24, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) has recorded 108,263 active workers being deleted or canceled from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), marking a significant increase compared to 44,227 deletions in 2022-23.
The reasons for deletion typically include issues like fake, duplicate, or incorrect job cards, families permanently shifting out of the Gram Panchayat, or the classification of a village as urban.
As per the data provided in the Lok Sabha by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development, Kamlesh Paswan, a copy of which lies with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), 108,263 active workers were removed from the scheme in J&K during this period, a significant increase from 44,227 workers deleted in the previous year (2022-23).
This surge places J&K at 13th position nationwide in terms of the number of deletions.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS) is a demand-driven wage employment program, with the responsibility of its implementation lying with the respective State/UT Governments.
An important part of the scheme is the regular updation and deletion of job cards, which is carried out by the States/UTs to maintain the accuracy and eligibility of workers. While performing deletions or removals, the States/UTs are required to comply with the provisions of the MGNREGA Act to ensure that no deserving or eligible household's job card is deleted or canceled—(KNO)