Rise in NREGS enrolment amid declining work availability

 

New Delhi: Although the number of workers registered under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) has increased, there is reportedly a shortage of available work. Owing to reduced budget allocations and large-scale wage arrears, the government has been unable to create enough workdays, leaving many who rely on the scheme frustrated. The rising number of registered workers points to growing rural poverty, according to a study conducted by LibTech India, an independent agency.

In Kerala, individual workdays declined by 8.7%. Experts had recommended increasing the scheme’s budget to ₹2.64 lakh crore for 2022–23, but the allocation remained at ₹86,000 crore in the recent budget. While wages are supposed to be paid within 15 days, in most states, arrears have accumulated for three months or more.

Increase in workers

In 2024–25, the number of registered workers under the scheme rose by 8.6%, increasing from 13.8 crore in 2023–24 to 14.98 crore. The lack of alternative employment is the primary reason behind the surge in registrations. However, the number of those who actually received work dropped from 5.51 crore to 5.35 crore—a decline of 2.9%.

Only 7% of workers were able to secure the guaranteed 100 days of employment. In 2023–24, this figure stood at 7.6%. While 42 lakh individuals received 100 days of work in 2023–24, the number fell to 37 lakh in 2024–25—an 11.9% drop.

Lowest in Odisha

The states with the lowest number of individual workdays were Odisha (34.8%), Tamil Nadu (25.1%), and Rajasthan (15.9%). Kerala ranked sixth on this list.

Worker attrition slowing down

In 2022, 5.4 crore people exited the scheme, while in 2023, this number dropped to 2.37 crore. New registrations were limited to 97 lakh in 2022 and 95 lakh in 2023. However, in the second half of 2024–25, measures are being introduced to reduce worker attrition and reinstate cancelled job cards.