The Hindu reports: The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) witnessed a sharp contraction in its scale and reach in 2025–26, according to a report on the final operational year of the scheme introduced by the Congress-led UPA era.The report points to a paradoxical trend where the number of registered households rose marginally, but fewer households and workers found employment, total workdays declined significantly, and fewer families completed the guaranteed 100 days of work. The report was released by the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha, a coalition of non-profit bodies working with MGNREGS workers, and was prepared by LibTech India, a consortium of academics and activists.
Mismatch between MGNREGS coverage, delivery, says report LibTech estimates that the contraction resulted in an average income loss of ₹1,221 for each MGNREGS household during the financial year. Uncertain transitionThe Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act 2025, which was passed in Parliament last December, is expected to come into force soon, replacing MGNREGS. The Union government has allocated only ₹30,000 crore for MGNREGS for the transitional period.This decline is deeply worrying, the NREGA Sangarsh Morcha said, especially since the new employment scheme was brought in with no public consultation.
Background
“The employment guarantee programmes play a critical role in rural livelihood security and any major restructuring of such programmes must involve meaningful consultation,” it said in a statement. The activists have urged the government to ensure that during the transition period, employment opportunities will continue to be provided unhindered. Average workdays per household is down to just 44 days under MGNREGSFewer working daysThe number of registered households under the scheme increased by 3.2%, from 14.98 crore in 2024–25 to 15.46 crore in 2025–26.
Key facts
- The activists have urged the government to ensure that during the transition period, employment opportunities will continue to be provided unhindered.
- However, this did not translate into greater employment.
- Average persondays per household dropped by 14.5%, from 50.18 to 42.92.
What this means
However, this did not translate into greater employment. The report notes that 44 lakh fewer households and 67 lakh fewer workers were employed compared to the previous year, representing declines of 8.2% and 9.1% respectively.The number of persondays of work generated under the programme fell sharply by 21.5%, from 268.44 crore in 2024–25 to 210.73 crore in 2025–26. Average persondays per household dropped by 14.5%, from 50.18 to 42.92.
The impact of this decline is evident in the sharp fall in the number of households completing the full 100 days of guaranteed employment, which declined by 40.5%, from 0.37 crore to 0.22 crore.The contraction was geographically widespread. Fifteen out of 20 States recorded a fall in persondays during the year. West Bengal generated no persondays in either 2024–25 or 2025–26 and was excluded from the comparative analysis.
Originally reported by The Hindu. This story has been edited and re-presented by BRIC Team.
