Will penalise states not MGNREGA workers if not linked with Aadhaar-based payment system: Minister Giriraj

New Delhi: Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh Tuesday slammed the Congress for its criticism of making Aadhaar mandatory for payments under

MGNREGA, and said “we will penalise states not workers” if they are not yet linked with the Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS).

A day after the ABPS was made mandatory for the rural employment guarantee scheme, Singh said several deadlines were given for linking.

He also dismissed former rural development minister Jairam Ramesh’s allegations that the union government is “weaponising technology”, especially the Aadhaar against the poor.

The ABPS has been made mandatory to ensure transparency, the minister said.

According to data provided by the Rural Development Ministry, as on January 2 there are around 14.32 crore active workers under the MGNREGS of whom 14.08 crore (98.31 per cent) have been Aadhaar-seeded.

Also, 12.54 crore workers (87.54 per cent of the total) have completed other steps and are currently eligible for Aadhaar-Based Payment System.

Asked about the way ahead for those workers under MGNREGA who have still not been linked to ABPS, Singh said, “We will talk to states. If they raise concerns we will see what can be the way forward.”

“We have extended the deadline multiple times over the last one year, now we will talk to states, what is the issue, how will they resolve it... We will penalise states, not the workers,” the minister said.

The minister said the “road is not closed” for workers yet unlinked. “No one can be stopped from getting work, but we need to bring transparency.”

Asked about the modalities to cover those who are not yet linked, he said it will be decided after holding discussions with state governments. District collectors or district magistrates will have the right to take a decision.

The Rural Development Ministry had said on Monday if certain gram panchayats have “technical issues”, the government may consider them for an exemption for mandatory payments through ABPS.

“This is not Rajiv Gandhi’s government that 15 paisa from a rupee will reach people. The Narendra Modi government is focused on transparency,”

Singh said, rejecting Jairam Ramesh’s criticism.

“Jairam Ramesh has also been Minister in this department. MGNREGA money used to go to account, and it would change several hands before reaching the beneficiaries... There are benefits of Aadhaar-linking. Money is going into the accounts of workers. They are spreading misinformation because they want the loot to continue,” he said.

The minister said between 2014-15 and 2023-24, 2,688 mandays of work were generated under MGNREGA, which was 1,660 between 2006-07 and 2013-14 under the Manmohan Singh government.