The right to work deleted

The right to work deleted

Sub : Polity

Sec : Legislation in news

Context:

• The number of worker deletions in MGNERGA job cards significantly increased from 1.49 crore in 2021-22 to 5.53 crore in 2022-23, marking a 247% rise.
• This surge coincided with the government’s push for Aadhaar-based payment systems (ABPS) under MGNREGA, which led to an increased focus on deletion of non-compliant or duplicate workers to improve compliance metrics.

What is MGNREGA:

• The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is a landmark legislation aimed at enhancing livelihood security in rural India by providing a legal guarantee of 100 days of paid employment per year to rural households.
• MGNREGA ensures that every rural household has the legal right to work, with a unique job card issued for each household. This card contains the names of all registered adults within the household.

Deletions from Job Cards:

• If a person is found to have provided false information during registration, the Gram Panchayat can order their deletion from the register. The person must be given a chance to be heard in the presence of two independent witnesses.
• The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) issues Master Circulars, updated periodically, that provide guidelines on the deletion of workers from job cards.

Conditions for Deletion:

• Permanent migration of the household.
• Duplicate job card entries.
• Issuance of the card based on forged documents.
• Reclassification of a Gram Panchayat as a Municipal Corporation, resulting in the deletion of all job cards in that area.

Not Willing to Work:

• One of the most common reasons for deletions in the sample is that workers were categorized as “Not willing to work.” In 2022-23, 83% of deletions were attributed to this reason.

Absence of Proper Consultations:

• In many cases, deletions were made without consulting the Gram Sabhas, violating the due process outlined in the Act. Workers often did not have prior knowledge of their deletion.