A major political storm has erupted in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly after data revealed that not even one percent of registered labourers received the full 100 days of guaranteed employment under MNREGA in the last six years.
The disclosure, made in response to a question raised by Congress MLA Pratap Grewal, has triggered sharp attacks on the BJP government, with the opposition alleging that the rural employment scheme has been "systematically weakened and then cosmetically renamed to hide failure."
Parliament passed the Viksit Bharat -" Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-"G RAM G) Bill, 2025 in December, replacing MGNREGA, which was brought by the Congress-led UPA government in 2025. The VB-G RAM G guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household annually - "up from 100 days.
According to figures tabled in the House by Panchayat Minister Prahlad Patel, the gap between registration and actual employment is glaring.
In 2021, more than 1.70 crore labourers were registered under MNREGA, yet only 1,23,624 families managed to secure the full 100 days of work.
In 2022, registrations climbed to over 1.81 crore, but just 63,898 families received 100 days of employment. In 2023, with nearly 1.69 crore workers on record, only 40,588 families reached the 100-day mark. The situation worsened in 2024, when over 1.70 crore were registered but merely 30,420 families completed 100 days.
In 2025, despite registrations rising to more than 1.86 crore labourers, only 32,560 families received full 100-day employment.
Grewal said that these figures clearly show that "not even one percent of workers have been given the legally guaranteed 100 days of employment."
The data further reveals that while registrations have increased, actual employment generation has steadily declined. During the peak Covid period in 2021-22, over 1.21 crore labourers from 61.66 lakh families demanded work. In 2022-23, more than 92 lakh labourers sought employment, followed by 76 lakh in 2023-24, nearly 69 lakh in 2024-25, and over 65 lakh in 2025-26.
Despite sustained demand, the average number of workdays per family fell sharply from 61.84 days in 2020-21 to just 49.13 days in 2024-25. Total man-days generated dropped dramatically from 34.17 crore in 2020-21 to 18.96 crore in 2024-25.
Expenditure under the scheme also declined from Rs 9,338 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 6,731 crore in 2024-25, with the central share reducing significantly over the same period.
Serious concerns have also been raised over the provision of 150 days of employment to forest rights lease holders. Tribal workers constitute over 33 percent of registered MNREGA workers in the state, yet in 2025-26 not a single worker in 24 districts received 150 days of employment. In four districts, only one family managed to reach 150 days. Even the tribal district of Jhabua recorded zero beneficiaries under the 150-day category. The highest number of 150-day employment cases was reported from Alirajpur with 112 families, followed by Chhindwara, Dhar, Mandla, and Damoh figures that remain marginal when compared to the scale of registration.
Adding to the controversy, Grewal alleged that during Covid, when rural employment was most critical, the government removed lakhs of names from job cards. Assembly data shows that in 2021 alone, over 43 lakh workers were deleted from job cards. In 2022, more than 7.7 lakh names were removed, followed by over 20 lakh in 2023, nearly two lakh in 2024, and over 1.23 lakh in 2025. The opposition claims these deletions deprived thousands of rural families of their only safety net.
Grewal further attacked the government's move to rename MNREGA as the "Vikasit Bharat - Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural)" and its promise to extend guaranteed employment from 100 to 125 days. "When the government failed to provide even 100 days to one percent of workers, promising 125 days is nothing but a sham," he said, accusing the BJP of weakening the Panchayati Raj system and pushing rural labourers toward migration.
The government, however, maintained that MNREGA is a demand-driven scheme and work is being provided as per norms. Officials said job card verification and e-KYC processes are underway and denied any systemic failure.
Yet the numbers presented in the Assembly have raised uncomfortable questions. Registrations are rising, demand for wages remains high, but average employment days and expenditure are declining. For a scheme once described as the backbone of rural employment and economic security, the latest figures have ignited a fierce debate over whether MNREGA in Madhya Pradesh is quietly shrinking at a time when rural workers need it the most.
