MGNREGS Deletes Over 10 Lakh Fake Job Cards: Government Data Reveals

The Ministry of Rural Development has reported deletion of over 10 lakh fake job cards under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) between 2022 and 2025. States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha emerged with the highest number of deletions, highlighting mass irregularities in record maintenance at local levels.

MGNREGS Removes Over 10 Lakh Fake Entries

According to data shared in the Lok Sabha on July 22, 2025, the central government recorded deletion of 759,362 fake job cards in 2022–2023, followed by 289,626 in 2023–2024 and 58,826 in 2024–2025 under MGNREGS. This totals to over 1,107,800 fake entries being removed nationally. Responsibility for identifying and deleting fake job cards remains with state governments, which are expected to carry out investigations and take legal action based on severity.

Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha Account for Over 64% Deletions

Uttar Pradesh led the list with 299,354 deletions in 2022–2023, followed by 147,397 in 2023–2024 and 3,421 in 2024–2025, making a total of 450,172. Bihar and Odisha followed, with Bihar removing over 107,494 entries over 3 years and Odisha erasing 144,284. These 3 states alone contributed more than 64% of the total deletions, raising major concerns regarding systemic inefficiencies.

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Low Numbers in Smaller UTs and North-East States

Union Territories like Goa, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry reported minimal deletions. Similarly, North-East states such as Sikkim, Mizoram and Manipur recorded less than 100 deletions annually, indicating either lower fraud prevalence or underreporting. For instance, Sikkim deleted just 15 fake cards in 2022–2023 and 2 in 2024–2025.

Lack of Arrest Data on MGNREGS Violations

The Ministry clarified that while state governments are obliged to take legal steps where necessary, including criminal action, the central authorities do not maintain records of arrests or prosecutions related to the creation of fake job cards. This absence of follow-through data limits insight into enforcement effectiveness.

Conclusion

The large-scale deletion of fake job cards under MGNREGS between 2022 and 2025 underscores flaws in verification processes. While deletion is a step towards improving transparency, the wide variation among states also indicates gaps in monitoring and reporting mechanisms at the grassroots level.

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