Punjab Removes Eight Lakh MGNREGA Job Cards; 14 Lakh Beneficiaries Affected

More than 14 lakh workers and over eight lakh Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) job cards have been removed from Punjab’s beneficiary database over the past five years, according to official data submitted in the Lok Sabha. The deletions followed extensive verification exercises aimed at removing duplicate and fake records, eliminating entries of deceased beneficiaries, and ensuring that only eligible workers remain registered under the rural employment scheme. According to the data, between 2021 and 2026, a total of 14.05 lakh workers were removed from the MGNREGA database in Punjab, while 8.04 lakh job cards were cancelled. Officials said the exercise was part of regular scrutiny conducted by the state Rural Development Department and the Central Government to improve transparency and prevent misuse of funds allocated under the employment guarantee programme.

The verification process identified several categories of ineligible records, including duplicate registrations, fake job cards, deceased beneficiaries, and inactive accounts. Authorities also removed beneficiaries who had secured permanent employment elsewhere, opted out of the scheme, or no longer met eligibility requirements. In some cases, job cards were cancelled after all registered members were found to be ineligible or had shifted away from their registered villages. The large-scale deletions come at a time when Punjab has started implementing the VB-G RAM G (Viksit Bharat Gram Governance) initiative, a digital governance programme notified by the Union Government to strengthen rural administration and improve delivery of government services at the village level. Officials believe that digital verification and data integration under the new system will help maintain more accurate beneficiary records and reduce irregularities in welfare schemes.

The official data also indicated a decline in the number of households seeking employment under MGNREGA in Punjab. The number of households demanding work reportedly fell from 6.46 lakh in 2025-26 to 3.02 lakh in 2026-27. Officials attributed the decline to multiple factors, including a reduced beneficiary base, improved employment opportunities outside the scheme, and greater availability of work in sectors such as agriculture, construction, and allied industries. Aadhaar-based authentication and stricter verification procedures have played a major role in identifying and removing ineligible beneficiaries. The government has argued that such measures are necessary to ensure that limited resources are directed towards genuine rural workers who depend on the scheme for employment and income support. The exercise is part of a nationwide effort to clean welfare databases and strengthen accountability in government programmes.

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The implementation of VB-G RAM G in Punjab has, however, been politically significant. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led state government’s decision to adopt the initiative came after concerns over the possible loss of central funds linked to the rural employment programme. Sources said Punjab faced the possibility of losing around Rs 750 crore to Rs 800 crore in central allocations if the required changes were not implemented. The move marks a policy shift for the Punjab government, which had earlier opposed changes to the MGNREGA framework. In December last year, the Punjab Assembly had passed a resolution opposing the VB-G RAM G Act and demanded that MGNREGA continue in its original rights-based form. The resolution accused the BJP-led Central Government of weakening a scheme that provides guaranteed employment and wages to rural workers, particularly those from economically vulnerable communities.

The debate over beneficiary deletions highlights the broader challenge of balancing transparency with ensuring access to welfare schemes. While authorities maintain that verification is essential to prevent misuse and improve efficiency, critics argue that excessive scrutiny and digital requirements could potentially exclude genuine beneficiaries who depend on government support. With stricter verification systems and digital governance becoming increasingly central to rural welfare administration, the focus of MGNREGA implementation is shifting towards maintaining accurate databases, improving monitoring, and ensuring that benefits reach eligible households. The coming years will determine whether these reforms improve efficiency without limiting access for genuine rural workers.

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