Question : Delay in Payment of Wages under MGNREGS

(a) the details of delay in payment of wages to workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) along with the reasons therefor;

(b) whether there have been instances of denial of wages due to lack of Aadhaar Card or problems in payment through Aadhaar Payment Bridge;

(c) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government to overcome these problems; and

(d) whether the compensation to be paid on account of delay of payment is also being delayed and if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI RAM KRIPAL YADAV)


(a): The Ministry has been making all efforts to pay wages in time. States/ UTs have been advised to generate pay orders in time. This has resulted in considerable improvement in the status of timely generation of pay order and leading to improvement in actual time taken to credit wages in the workers account. During the current financial Year 2018-19 (as on 23.07.2018), 92% pay orders have been generated within 15 days. The delay in payment of wages are due to implementation issues in the States which include inadequate staffing, non-timely recording and reporting of attendance, measurement, data entry, generation of wage list, Fund Transfer Order (FTO), etc.

(b)&(c): No, Madam. All wages under MGNREGS are not paid through Aadhaar Based Payment System (ABPS). Those workers who do not have Aadhaar number or are in process of ABPS conversion are paid electronically through account based transfers into their Bank/Post office accounts.

(d): As per the provisions under Para 29 (1) (a), (b), (d) of Schedule-II of the MGNREGA, the compensation for delay in payment of wages is paid to the workers. During the year 2017-18, a sum of Rs. 24.78 crore has been paid by the State Governments as compensation for delay in payment of wages.


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