NEW DELHI: About a month before the Centre introduced the Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB—G RAM G) Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), official data shows that more than 16.3 lakh workers were removed from the scheme rolls in the preceding 36 days. This data, pertaining to the period between October 10 and November 14 this year, has raised concerns among rural labourers and experts about exclusion from a law that guarantees the right to work.

Kamlesh Paswan, Minister of State for Rural Development, revealed these facts in the Lok Sabha in the written responses to queries raised by Samajwadi Party MPs Lalji Verma and Anand Bhadauriya. The minister further said in the response that the deletion of job cards is a routine exercise carried out by state governments under the MGNREGS rules.

He added that the removals were due to fake or duplicate cards, permanent migration of workers, urban reclassification of panchayats, and deaths. His replies categorically stated that digital verification requirements, such as electronic know-your-customer (e-KYC) process, were not a cause for the removals.