Lok Sabha Question No. 2844 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-18
Subject: ABP Systems under MGNREGS
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Thiru Dr. S Jagathratchakan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2844 ANSWERED ON 18/03/2025

## ABP SYSTEMS UNDER MGNREGS

## 2844. SHRI S JAGATHRATCHAKAN:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  considered  the  Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and PanchayatiRaj's  recommendation that the Aadhaar Based Payment  System  (ABPS)  for  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) payments should not be made mandatory due to potential worker exclusion and if so, the current stance of the Government on this recommendation;
- (b) the  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  address  the  low wages under MGNREGS, including any plans to link wages to an inflation index to ensure fair compensation for workers;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  assessed  the  impact  of  the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) app on MGNREGS workers, particularly concerning issues of accessibility andusability and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the  current  average  wage  rate  under  MGNREGS  in  various States, and  comparison  of  these  rates to the prevailing agricultural wage rates in the same regions?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN)

(a): To ensure timely payment of wages to the beneficiaries under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS and to  address  the  issues  arising  due  to frequent changes in bank account numbers of the beneficiaries and subsequent  non-updation,  it  was  decided  to implement  Aadhar Payment  Bridge  System  (APBS).  This  has  been  made  mandatory with effect from 1st January 2024. Payment of wages through Direct

Benefit  Transfer  (DBT)  mode  has  had  positive  impact  on  the livelihood  of  the beneficiaries  as  it  ensures  that  the  payment reaches directly into the accounts of the intended beneficiaries. Currently, against total of 13.55 crore active workers Aadhaar seeding of 99.49% have already been completed. State/UTs  are  continuously  being monitored  by  the Central Government for achieving 100% Aadhaar Seeding and APBS conversion in NREGASoft. As and when any issue is  flagged by the State/UT or any other stakeholders, same is resolved on priority basis.

(b) &(e):  As per section 6(1) of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, the Central Government may, by notification, specify the wage rate for unskilled work for Mahatma Gandhi NREGS workers. Accordingly, the Ministry of Rural Development notifies wage rate for unskilled workers under Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGA  every  financial  year.  To  compensate  the Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS) workers against inflation, the Ministry of Rural  Development  revises  the  wage  rates  every  financial  year based on Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourer (CPI-AL). The wage rate is made applicable from 1st April of  each financial year. There is around 7% increase in the average notified wage rate during the FY 2024-25 compared to FY 2023-24.

State/UT-wise  average  wage  per  personday  under  Mahatma Gandhi  NREGS  during  the  current  financial  year  2024-25  (as  on

13.03.2025) is given at Annexure.

Each  State/UT  can  provide  wages  over  and  above  the  wage rate notified by the Central Government.

(c)&(d): In order to ensure transparency and accountability in the implementation  of  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural Employment Guarantee  Scheme (Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS),  the  Ministry  has decided that States/UTs shall ensure capturing of attendance at the worksite  through  National  Mobile  Monitoring  System  (NMMS)  App with two-time stamped, geo-tagged photographs of the workers in a day for all  the  works  (except  Individual  Beneficiary  Work)  through NMMS w.e.f 1st January, 2023.

Further,  to  avoid  any  inconvenience  to  the  workers  due  to NMMS, it has been decided that in case any worksite is not located in network covered area or attendance could not be uploaded due to

any other network issue then attendance can be captured in offline mode  and  can  be  uploaded  once  the  device  comes  into  network covered area. In case of exceptional circumstances owing to which attendance could not be uploaded, the provision for exemption also exists  which  has  been  further  decentralized  to  the  level  of  Block administration.

To  make  the  NMMS  App  more  robust  and  user  friendly,  new enhancements have been done such as the provision of Eye blink facility,  Head  Count  facility,  Mate  id  mapping  with  Muster  roll  and relaxation  in  proximity  range  in  linear  types  of  community  works (permissible) etc. in the NMMS application.Usage of NMMS app has also helped to ensure timely payment of wages to the workers.

Any issue brought to the notice of Ministry concerning NMMS are attended on top priority basis and efforts are to made to resolve the same at the earliest. Further, continuous awareness campaigns and  training  programs  are  being  organized  across  States/UTs  to familiarize workers/officials with the NMMS app.

*****

## Annexure  referred  to  in  reply  to  part  (b)&(e)  of  LokSabhaUnstarred  Question No. 2844 dated 18.03.2025

0

0

| State/UT-wise average wage per personday under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the current financial year 2024-25 (as on 13.03.2025)   | State/UT-wise average wage per personday under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the current financial year 2024-25 (as on 13.03.2025)   | State/UT-wise average wage per personday under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the current financial year 2024-25 (as on 13.03.2025)   |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| SI. No.                                                                                                                            | States/UTs                                                                                                                         | Average Wage per personday (In Rs.)                                                                                                |
| 1                                                                                                                                  | Andhra Pradesh                                                                                                                     | 255.52                                                                                                                             |
| 2                                                                                                                                  | Arunachal Pradesh                                                                                                                  | 233.88                                                                                                                             |
| 3                                                                                                                                  | Assam                                                                                                                              | 248.43                                                                                                                             |
| 4                                                                                                                                  | Bihar                                                                                                                              | 239.03                                                                                                                             |
| 5                                                                                                                                  | Chhattisgarh                                                                                                                       | 219.32                                                                                                                             |
| 6                                                                                                                                  | Goa                                                                                                                                | 356                                                                                                                                |
| 7                                                                                                                                  | Gujarat                                                                                                                            | 248.16                                                                                                                             |
| 8                                                                                                                                  | Haryana                                                                                                                            | 363.55                                                                                                                             |
| 9                                                                                                                                  | Himachal Pradesh                                                                                                                   | 270.89                                                                                                                             |
| 10                                                                                                                                 | Jammu And Kashmir                                                                                                                  | 257.61                                                                                                                             |
| 11                                                                                                                                 | Jharkhand                                                                                                                          | 271.79                                                                                                                             |
| 12                                                                                                                                 | Karnataka                                                                                                                          | 328.57                                                                                                                             |
| 13                                                                                                                                 | Kerala                                                                                                                             | 344.23                                                                                                                             |
| 14                                                                                                                                 | Ladakh                                                                                                                             | 258.64                                                                                                                             |
| 15                                                                                                                                 | Madhya Pradesh                                                                                                                     | 228.77                                                                                                                             |
| 16                                                                                                                                 | Maharashtra                                                                                                                        | 282.1                                                                                                                              |
| 17                                                                                                                                 | Manipur                                                                                                                            | 271.61                                                                                                                             |
| 18                                                                                                                                 | Meghalaya                                                                                                                          | 253.9                                                                                                                              |
| 19                                                                                                                                 | Mizoram                                                                                                                            | 265.95                                                                                                                             |
| 20                                                                                                                                 | Nagaland                                                                                                                           | 233.97                                                                                                                             |
| 21                                                                                                                                 | Odisha                                                                                                                             | 270.56                                                                                                                             |
| 22                                                                                                                                 | Punjab                                                                                                                             | 316.86                                                                                                                             |
| 23                                                                                                                                 | Rajasthan                                                                                                                          | 206.51                                                                                                                             |
| 24                                                                                                                                 | Sikkim                                                                                                                             | 249.71                                                                                                                             |
| 25                                                                                                                                 | Tamil Nadu                                                                                                                         | 275.14                                                                                                                             |
| 26                                                                                                                                 | Telangana                                                                                                                          | 213.9                                                                                                                              |
| 27                                                                                                                                 | Tripura                                                                                                                            | 218.35                                                                                                                             |
| 28                                                                                                                                 | Uttar Pradesh                                                                                                                      | 236.33                                                                                                                             |
| 29                                                                                                                                 | Uttarakhand                                                                                                                        | 236.89                                                                                                                             |
| 30                                                                                                                                 | West Bengal#                                                                                                                       | 0                                                                                                                                  |
| 31                                                                                                                                 | Andaman and Nicobar                                                                                                                | 330.15                                                                                                                             |
| 32                                                                                                                                 | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu                                                                                           | 324                                                                                                                                |
| 33                                                                                                                                 | Lakshadweep@                                                                                                                       | 0                                                                                                                                  |
| 34                                                                                                                                 | Puducherry                                                                                                                         | 290.7                                                                                                                              |
|                                                                                                                                    | Total                                                                                                                              | 252.63                                                                                                                             |

As per NREGASoft

# Release of funds to the State of West Bengal has been stopped since March 9, 2022, under Section 27 of the Act due to non-compliance with Central Government directives.

- @ As per information available onNREGASoft  no Persondays have been generated in  Lakshadweep in FY 2424-25 till date.

*****