New Delhi: Union rural development minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday (December 9) informed the Lok Sabha that 4.57 crore MGNREGS job cards have been deleted across the country between 2019–20 and 2024–25, even as 6.54 crore new job cards were added in the same period.

Among the states, Bihar recorded the highest total number of job card deletions under MGNREGS between 2019-20 and 2024-25, removing over 1.04 crore job cards during this period, far exceeding all other states and Union Territories. Bihar’s deletions surged particularly in 2022-23 and 2023-24, when 79.82 lakh job cards were removed.

Bihar was followed by Uttar Pradesh, which deleted 91.48 lakh job cards in the same period, while Odisha accounted for 44.07 lakh deletions. States such as Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh also reported significant totals, deleting about 37.90 lakh and 36.14 lakh job cards respectively, according to the data placed before parliament by the minister in response to a starred question.

Out of the data presented for six years, the highest number of deletions was seen in 2022-23. In 2019–20, the total number of deletions stood at 14.32 lakh, which rose significantly to 27.96 lakh in 2020-21. The number increased further in 2021-22, reaching 50.31 lakh, before surging dramatically in 2022-23 to an unprecedented 2.24 crore, the highest in the six-year period. In 2023-24, deletions declined but remained high at 1.01 crore, and in 2024-25, the total was 38.59 lakh.

The data presented by the rural development ministry also revealed a striking fact that the job card of 16.31 lakh workers was deleted in just 36 days between this October 10 and November 14. Andhra Pradesh accounted for the largest share with 11.07 lakh deletions, followed by Odisha (80,896), Jammu and Kashmir (79,070), Telangana (95,084) and Kerala (20,124). Uttar Pradesh recorded 17,236 deletions in the same period.

Chouhan said job card deletion is a “regular exercise” carried out by states and Union Territories, primarily due to fake or duplicate entries, incorrect information, permanent migration, reclassification of Gram Panchayats as urban, or cases where the sole job card holder had died. "However, while deleting/ removing workers/Job cards, States/UTs have to ensure compliance with provisions of the Act and the Standard Operating Procedure issued by the ministry to ensure that no job card of deserving or eligible household is deleted/cancelled."

Further, the minister mentioned that workers can file complaints through several channels, including the NREGASoft Grievance Redressal Module, written petitions to local authorities, telephone helplines, Gram Panchayat complaint registers, and the national grievance portal Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS).

Responding to concerns that newly mandated digital systems may have caused mass exclusions, the government stated that neither the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS), which captures real-time, geo-tagged attendance, nor the Aadhaar Payment Bridge System (APBS) can be grounds for job card deletion. NMMS has been mandatory for most worksites since January 2023, while APBS-based wage payments became compulsory from 1 January 2024.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.