The government sources have made it clear that the deadline for introducing the Aadhaar-based payment system as the exclusive method of paying workers under the national rural job guarantee scheme MGNREGS won't be extended past August 31. Earlier this year, in January, the Union government had decreed that the use of the Aadhaar-based payment system (ABPS) is mandatory for compensating individuals enrolled in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
Originally, the initial deadline for universally adopting the ABPS mode was set for February 1. This was later pushed to March 31, then again to June 30, and finally to August 31. However, officials from the rural development ministry have clarified that there will be no more extensions as over 90 percent of active workers' accounts have already been linked with their Aadhaar.
According to a statement released by the ministry in June, out of a total of 14.28 crore active beneficiaries, 13.75 crore have successfully linked their Aadhaar numbers. Among these, 12.17 crore Aadhaar numbers have been verified, and at that point, 77.81 percent were deemed eligible for ABPS, according to the ministry.
By May 2023, about 88 percent of wage payments were being made through ABPS. The ministry also emphasized that the job card data given to MGNREGS beneficiaries cannot be removed simply because a worker isn't eligible for ABPS.
Rural development minister Giriraj Singh, in a written response during the recent monsoon session of Parliament, noted that bank accounts for around 1.13 crore MGNREGS workers, which amounts to roughly eight percent of all active workers in the scheme, are yet to be linked with Aadhaar.
Progress has been slower in the northeastern states, with accounts of over 42 percent of workers in Assam, around 23 percent in Arunachal Pradesh, over 70 percent in Meghalaya, and 37 percent in Nagaland still awaiting Aadhaar linkage.
The ABPS, along with direct account transfers, has been an alternative payment mode under MNREGS since 2017. State officials have been urged to organize camps and work closely with beneficiaries to achieve complete adoption of the ABPS, aiming for 100 percent coverage.
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