From Lifeline to Neglect: How MNREGA Became a Victim of Apathy

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), once a beacon of hope for rural livelihoods in India, is now a stark example of administrative inefficiency and neglect under the current central government. 

Introduced to provide a safety net for the country’s most vulnerable populations, the scheme has deteriorated into a bureaucratic quagmire that increasingly marginalizes those it was designed to uplift. The recent protests by MNREGA workers at Jantar Mantar on December 5, 2024, have brought to the fore the glaring lapses in the program’s implementation, exposing a disturbing lack of accountability and political will at the central level.

At the heart of the crisis is the chronic underfunding of MNREGA. The scheme, which should ideally be a robust tool for poverty alleviation, has seen its budget slashed repeatedly by the central government. The allocation for MNREGA in the 2023-24 Union Budget was reduced to ₹60,000 crore, a sharp drop from ₹89,400 crore the previous year. 

This is not just a failure of prioritization; it is an intentional undermining of a program that serves as a lifeline for millions. Such budget cuts are particularly egregious given the rising inflation and the increased demand for jobs under the scheme. The central government’s consistent under-allocation of funds has resulted in delayed wage payments, which not only violate the provisions of the Act but also deepen the economic distress of workers who depend on MNREGA for survival.

The central government’s inefficiency is further exemplified by its ill-conceived push for technological interventions without addressing the infrastructural realities of rural India. The introduction of the Aadhaar-based Payment System (ABPS) and the National Mobile Monitoring Software (NMMS) was touted as a step toward greater transparency.

However, for millions of rural workers, these measures have created more problems than they have solved. Technical glitches, mismatches in Aadhaar details, and poor internet connectivity have excluded countless workers from receiving their wages on time.

For a government that frequently touts its commitment to digitization, the failure to address these basic issues reveals a lack of empathy and foresight. It is appalling that workers are being denied their hard-earned wages due to technological bottlenecks imposed by an administration that seems more focused on optics than on-ground realities.

The consequences of these inefficiencies are dire. MNREGA has historically provided employment to over 13 crore families annually, yet the number of households completing the guaranteed 100 days of work has dwindled. The unmet demand for jobs reflects a systemic failure to implement the scheme effectively. 

Women, who make up more than half of MNREGA’s workforce, are particularly affected. For many, MNREGA is not just a source of income but also a pathway to social empowerment. The central government’s inability to address the scheme’s challenges disproportionately impacts women, pushing them further into cycles of poverty and dependence. This is not just a policy failure but a moral failing of a government that claims to champion the rights of women and the underprivileged.

The recent protests by MNREGA workers highlight a growing sense of frustration and betrayal among rural communities. These workers are not asking for charity; they are demanding what is rightfully theirs—timely payment of wages, adequate budgetary allocation, and the removal of barriers that prevent them from accessing the program. The central government’s apathy toward these demands underscores its detachment from the realities of rural India.

The workers’ call for increasing the MNREGA budget to at least 2% of GDP is not just reasonable; it is necessary. Yet, there has been no meaningful response from the government, which continues to prioritize corporate tax cuts and big-ticket infrastructure projects over the welfare of its most vulnerable citizens.

The inefficiency of the central government extends beyond budgetary neglect and technical barriers. There is a pervasive lack of accountability in the administration of MNREGA. Delays in wage payments are routine, yet there are no consequences for the officials responsible.

 Workers are rarely compensated for these delays, despite clear provisions in the Act. The government’s failure to enforce these provisions reflects a broader disregard for the rule of law when it comes to the rights of the poor. Instead of strengthening local governance structures to ensure effective implementation, the central government has centralized decision-making, further alienating the workers and local administrators who are most familiar with the program’s challenges.

What makes this inefficiency even more disheartening is the central government’s complete unwillingness to engage with the concerns of MNREGA workers. The December 5 protest is just one of many instances where workers have raised their voices against the systemic erosion of the scheme.

Yet, their demands have largely fallen on deaf ears. This silence is not just an oversight; it is indicative of a political strategy to weaken MNREGA, a program that has often been criticized by the ruling party for being a legacy of previous governments. By systematically underfunding and mismanaging the scheme, the central government is effectively dismantling one of the most successful social welfare programs in India’s history.

The plight of MNREGA workers is a damning indictment of the central government’s inefficiency and indifference. The scheme, which was designed to provide dignity through work, is now mired in delays, exclusions, and budgetary constraints. The workers who protested at Jantar Mantar are not just fighting for their wages; they are fighting for the very survival of a program that represents the hopes and aspirations of rural India.

Their demands are a wake-up call for a government that has lost touch with the realities of the people it claims to serve. It is high time that the central government stops treating MNREGA as an afterthought and starts addressing the systemic issues that have brought the program to its knees. Anything less would be a betrayal of the millions of workers who depend on MNREGA for their livelihoods and dignity.