Whereas households acquired 48–52 days of labor yearly over the previous 5 years, the typical has dropped to about 36 days thus far within the present monetary 12 months.
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DEBASISH BHADURI
The proposed improve within the statutory entitlement to 125 days of employment per family within the Viksit Bharat-Assure for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G Invoice) as in contrast with 100 days underneath the Mahatma Gandhi Nationwide Rural Employment Assure Act (MGNREGA) is unlikely to translate into larger spending by the Centre.
An evaluation of MGNREGA dashboard information by businessline exhibits that the precise variety of employment days has steadily declined.
The typical employment per family peaked at 52 days in 2020-21 in the course of the pandemic, when the Centre’s expenditure touched ₹1.09 lakh crore.
By 2024-25, this quantity slipped to 50 days, with the Centre’s contribution falling to ₹85,640.55 crore.
Whereas households acquired 48-52 days of labor yearly over the previous 5 years, the typical dropped to about 36 days thus far this fiscal, with the Centre’s spend at ₹69,013.73 crore.
Participation down
The Centre’s share of funding is about to say no to 60 per cent underneath the proposed VB-G RAM G Invoice from round 90 per cent underneath MGNREGA, shifting a considerably bigger monetary burden to the States.
Participation indicators additionally level to a contraction within the scheme’s attain. The variety of households receiving the total 100 days of labor fell sharply from 71.97 lakh in 2020-21 to 40.70 lakh in 2024-25.
The general participation declined as effectively, with households that availed themselves of labor dropping from 7.55 crore to five.78 crore. The variety of gram panchayats not enterprise MGNREGA work has risen to 11,165 in 2025-26 from 4,797 in 2021-22. In Odisha, sarpanches from Kalamachhuin and Hensmul gram panchayats mentioned works had been stopped after land acquisition by Mahanadi Coalfields.
“Although there may be demand for MGNREGA, now we have been advised to not undertake works after Mahanadi Coalfields acquired land in our panchayat,” mentioned Anil Kumar Pradhan, sarpanch of Kalamachhuin gram panchayat in Talcher block of Angul district in Odisha.
In Uttar Pradesh, 875 panchayats reported no MGNREGA exercise this 12 months, partly because of the merger of some rural panchayats into city native our bodies.
Devendra Kumar Pant, Chief Economist at India Scores, mentioned that if the VB-G RAM G Invoice is enacted, the Centre’s share is prone to decline from FY26 resulting from decrease demand amid general financial development, significantly in agriculture, which has expanded at over 3.5 per cent for 5 consecutive quarters.
Printed on December 17, 2025
