Latest news with #KamleshPaswan
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
MGNREGS job cardholders have to complete e-KYC verification within three months: Odisha minister
BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to shed the dubious distinction of having the third highest fake job cards in the country after Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the state government has given MGNREGS cardholders three months time to complete their e-KYC verification. The move has come after Union minister of state for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan in a reply in the Lok Sabha, revealed that Odisha has deleted over 1.44 lakh fake job cards in the last three years. State Panchayati Raj and Rural Development minister Rabi Narayan Naik, however, described the presence of fake cards as a legacy issue inherited from the previous BJD government. 'In the last one year, we have issued around 2 lakh job cards to genuine beneficiaries who were previously left out. Our government is committed to transparency and accountability. Misuse of public money will not be tolerated,' Naik said. He also said the government has been proactive in ensuring that all eligible individuals are covered under welfare schemes such as ration cards, PMAY, PM-Kisan, CM Kisan, and Subhadra Yojana. The e-KYC process, he said, will help weed out ghost entries and ineligible people who have obtained job cards to avail other government benefits. According to official data, the state has issued 66.5 lakh job cards to 1.09 crore people, of which 43.19 lakh cards are currently active. The number of active workers stands at 65.53 lakh. In his reply in the Parliament, the Union minister said that Odisha deleted 1,14,454 fake job cards in 2022-23, 22,226 cards in 2023-24, and 7,566 cards in 2024-25. 'Since the responsibility for implementing MGNREGS lies with the state governments, it is up to them to take appropriate action in cases of irregularities. This may include investigations and legal action, depending on the severity of the issue,' Paswan stated. The mandatory e-KYC for job cards comes after a similar verification exercise was undertaken to identify and remove ghost and ineligible ration cards from circulation across the state.
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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Funds released for MGNREGS see decline despite higher Budget allocation
The overall funds released under MGNREGS have gone down over the last five years, even as the allocations in the Budget have gone up, information given by the government in the Rajya Sabha showed. According to a written reply by Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan to a question by Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, the year of the Covid lockdown 2020-21 saw many migrant workers return to their native villages and ₹1,11,170.86 crore was released under the rural job scheme, the highest in the five-year period. At the Budget Estimate stage at the beginning of the financial year, ₹61,500 crore was allocated for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). In 2021-22, ₹98,467.85 crore was released under the scheme, against a Budget Estimate of ₹73,000 crore, while in 2022-23, ₹90,810.99 crore was released, well over the estimate of ₹73,000 crore when the Union Budget was announced. In 2023-24, ₹89,268.30 crore was released under the scheme, against a Budget Estimate of ₹60,000 crore. In 2024-25,₹85,838.76 crore was released under the scheme, which was less than the Budget Estimate of ₹86,000 crore at the start of the fiscal year, a first in five years. The funds released for the MGNREGS have declined every year since it peaked in 2020-21, as per data provided by the minister. Paswan, in his reply, said that in the financial year 2025-26 (as on July 22), 99.79 per cent of the eligible rural households have been offered employment. The minister also stressed that the allocation of ₹86,000 crore for the financial year 2024-25 was the "highest ever allocation for the scheme at the Budget Estimate (BE) stage since inception". "In the financial year 2025-26, the government has retained this allocation at ₹86,000 crore, ensuring continued support for the scheme," he said. "The Government of India is committed to strengthening and supporting Mahatma Gandhi NREGS to ensure livelihood security for rural households through sustainable employment opportunities," Paswan added. As of July 21 this year, 3.83 crore households availed employment and 106.77 crore person-days have been generated under the scheme, he said in a written reply to another question. In another written reply, Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that ₹44,479.79 crore has already been released to states/UTs this financial year, out of which ₹36,616.99 crore is for payment of wages. He said all pending liabilities of wages for FY 2024-25 have already been released at the beginning of FY 2025-26.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
2 fake NREGA job card holders found in Bengal in 2024-25
1 2 Kolkata: Trinamool Congress on Tuesday questioned the Centre's stance towards Bengal after junior rural development minister Kamlesh Paswan informed party MP Mala Roy that only two fake NREGA job card holders had been found in the state in 2024–25, whereas the figures for UP, Rajasthan, Bihar, Odisha and MP ran into the thousands. In a statement on X, TMC said the figures placed in the Lok Sabha by the central minister clearly showed that 11,07,814 fake MGNREGA job cards were deleted across India between 2022 and 2025. "BJP-governed Uttar Pradesh alone accounted for 4,50,172 deletions, 40.6% of the total. The other top offenders, Odisha, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, are all Double Engine states. Bengal saw just 5,984 deletions, a mere 0.5%," the party said. The party questioned BJP, asking, "Yet it is Bengal whose MGNREGA funds were cruelly blocked, with bogus allegations of irregularities. So, which is it, BJP? Were you lying all along to justify your economic blockade against Bengal out of pure political vendetta? Or are BJP-ruled states simply above scrutiny?" Calcutta High Court on June 18 directed the Centre to resume the 100 days' work programme in Bengal from August 1, saying the scheme could not be "put in cold storage for eternity". by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Gold Is Surging in 2025 — Smart Traders Are Already In IC Markets Learn More Undo The NREGA scheme was suspended in the state for close to three years. A person who obtained wages illegally or under fictitious names could not go free and had to be dealt with firmly, Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam said. "But what about those who did the work genuinely?" he asked, observing: "A line should be drawn and a cut-off date announced. " You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, "The Centre told Lok Sabha that it is examining the HC order. This is an unprecedented blockade. The data shows that Bengal is being punished for its transparency and BJP-governed states are being rewarded for their illegality."
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Over ₹44 crore released under MGNREGS so far: Centre tells Lok Sabha
The Centre has released ₹44,323 crore to states and union territories under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) so far, Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. In a written reply, the minister gave the figures of disbursements of wages, material and admin components till July 17, 2025. According to the revelation, the amount disbursed is almost half of the total allocation of ₹86,000 crore earmarked for the financial year 2025-26. In a written reply to a separate question, MoS Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan said the allocation included full pending wage liabilities and 50 per cent of Material Liabilities of the previous financial year. "Regarding budget allocation for Mahatma Gandhi NREGS it is submitted that, for the financial year 2024-25, budget allocation of Rs. 86,000 crore has been made, which was the highest ever allocation for the scheme at the Budget Estimate (BE) stage since inception. In the financial year 2025-26, the Government has retained this allocation at ₹86,000 crore, ensuring continued support for rural employment," Chouhan said. He said that keeping in view the demand-driven nature of the scheme, the rural development ministry closely monitors demand for employment at the ground level and seeks additional funds from the Finance as and when required.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Over ₹44 crore released under MGNREGS so far: Centre tells Lok Sabha
The Centre has released ₹44,323 crore to states and union territories under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) so far, Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday (July 22, 2025). In a written reply, the minister gave the figures of disbursements of wages, material and admin components till July 17, 2025. Also Read: Parliament Monsoon Session Day 2 Highlights on July 22, 2025 According to the revelation, the amount disbursed is almost half of the total allocation of ₹86,000 crore earmarked for the financial year 2025-26. In a written reply to a separate question, MoS Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan said the allocation included full pending wage liabilities and 50% of Material Liabilities of the previous financial year. 'Regarding budget allocation for MGNREGS, it is submitted that, for the financial year 2024-25, budget allocation of ₹86,000 crore has been made, which was the highest ever allocation for the scheme at the Budget Estimate (BE) stage since inception. In the financial year 2025-26, the Government has retained this allocation at ₹86,000 crore, ensuring continued support for rural employment,' Mr. Chouhan said. He said that keeping in view the demand-driven nature of the scheme, the rural development ministry closely monitors demand for employment at the ground level and seeks additional funds from the Finance as and when required.
