New Delhi, 21 November. The Ministry of Rural Development said that continuous efforts are being made to make the implementation of MGNREGA more transparent and effective so that rural families can get timely and correct benefits. MNREGA is being run through 2.69 lakh gram panchayats across the country and covers more than 26 crore registered workers. According to the ministry, the Aadhaar numbers of 99.67% active MNREGA workers have already been linked to the job card, making the e-KYC process even easier and faster.

It is legally mandatory to issue job card within 15 days of receiving the application.

According to the MNREGA law, the Gram Panchayat has to issue the job card within 15 days of receiving the application, which contains information like unique job card number, registration number, insurance policy number and Aadhaar number. At the same time, renewal of job card is necessary every 5 years. Issuance of job cards, their verification and renewal are all the responsibilities of state governments and gram panchayats.

Advice to States – For verification and renewal of job card NMMS of app e-KYC use feature

The ministry has asked the states to use the e-KYC facility of the NMMS app (National Mobile Monitoring System) for verification and renewal of job cards. The process is extremely simple and e-KYC of a worker is completed in just a minute. The Gram Rozgar Sahayak, worksite supervisor or any Panchayat level employee takes the photograph of the worker through the NMMS app, which is instantly digitally matched with the Aadhaar database. Till now e-KYC of 56% active workers has been completed.

Make the process easier by eliminating technical issues like network

The ministry has advised the states to make the process easier by removing technical problems like network. e-KYC can be done at the worksite, in special camps organized by the Gram Panchayat, or at any place decided by the state. This step will strengthen transparency, efficiency and service delivery in MNREGA.

The ministry also clarified that a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was issued on January 24, 2025 for the process of deletion of job cards or names of workers. It provides clear and uniform instructions to ensure fairness, accountability and prevent wrongful/arbitrary deletions. It is the responsibility of the state governments to follow this SOP, while the ministry monitors it.

The Ministry of Rural Development is committed to ensure that all interested rural households get their entitlements under MNREGA. Also, this scheme should be implemented without any hindrance, with complete transparency and accountability.