"57 Lakh Active Workers Lack e-KYC Verification Under New Rural Employment Scheme"
e-KYC
electronic Know Your Customer — biometric/digital identity verification required for workers to access VB-G RAM G benefits.
Person-day
a unit measuring one person working for one full working day; the standard metric for rural employment scheme output.
Article 41 of the Constitution, a Directive Principle of State Policy, directs the state to secure the right to work. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 gave this principle statutory force, guaranteeing at least 100 days of unskilled wage employment per rural household per year. The Centre bore roughly 90% of wage costs, with states contributing the rest. Over two decades, MGNREGA became one of the world's largest public works programmes, functioning as a rural wage floor, a social safety net, and a demand-driven asset-creation tool.
The VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 (Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission, Gramin) replaced MGNREGA and came into force from 1st July 2026. The new law raised the annual entitlement to 125 days per household and set a total budgetary allocation of ₹95,692 crore. It introduced a higher state cost-share of 40% (up from a marginal share under MGNREGA), mandatory thematic work areas linked to the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, and biometric attendance requirements. The transition also introduced a new identity instrument, the Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Card, to replace existing MGNREGS job cards.
VB-G RAM G retains the demand-driven architecture of MGNREGA. Adult members of rural households who volunteer for unskilled manual work are entitled to the statutory guarantee. However, the new scheme introduces e-KYC verification as a mandatory condition for accessing work. Workers who had completed e-KYC under MGNREGS were declared eligible to avail work under the new scheme without fresh verification. The government assured that existing e-KYC-verified job cards would remain valid until new Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Cards were issued.
The e-KYC requirement is a structural departure from MGNREGA's relatively simpler job-card-based access. It links worker identity to biometric and digital verification systems. This is intended to reduce ghost beneficiaries and wage leakages. …
Discuss the merits and demerits of the four 'Labour Codes' in the context of labour market reforms in India. What has been the progress so far in this regard?
With reference to casual workers employed in India, consider the following statements:
1.All casual workers are entitled for Employees Provident Fund coverage.
2.All casual workers are entitled for regular working hours and overtime payment.
3.The government can, by a notification, specify that an establishment or industry shall pay wages only through its bank account.
Which of the above statements are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission, Gramin (VB-G RAM G):
1.It replaced MGNREGA and came into force from 1st July 2026.
2.It guarantees 150 days of unskilled wage employment per rural household per year.
3.States are required to bear 40% of the scheme's costs.
4.Works under the scheme must fall within four mandated thematic areas linked to PM Gati Shakti.
How many of the above statements are correct?
With reference to the e-KYC implementation under VB-G RAM G as of August 2026, consider the following statements:
1.The overall e-KYC verification rate among all registered workers stood at 71%.
2.Among active workers, approximately 57 lakh remain without e-KYC verification.
3.Tamil Nadu reported the lowest e-KYC rate among active workers among large states.
4.The Ministry of Rural Development has allowed no exceptions to the e-KYC requirement.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Match the following states with their e-KYC verification rates among active workers under VB-G RAM G (as of August 2026):
State — e-KYC Rate (Active Workers)
1.Tamil Nadu — P. 90.4%
2.Andhra Pradesh — Q. 94.21%
3.Uttar Pradesh — R. 95.66%
4.Rajasthan — S. 99.32%
Select the correct matching:
Consider the following statements regarding the constitutional and legal basis of rural employment guarantee schemes in India:
1.Article 41 of the Constitution, a Directive Principle of State Policy, directs the state to secure the right to work.
2.MGNREGA guaranteed 100 days of employment per rural household per year, with the Centre bearing approximately 90% of wage costs.
3.VB-G RAM G raises the annual entitlement to 125 days and requires states to bear 40% of costs.
4.The Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Card under VB-G RAM G replaces the job card issued under MGNREGS.
Which of the above statements are correct?
With reference to employment generation data under India's rural employment guarantee schemes, consider the following:
Assertion (A): In July 2026, person-days generated under VB-G RAM G were approximately 50% lower than person-days generated under MGNREGS in the same month the previous year.
Reason (R): The e-KYC verification requirement under VB-G RAM G, combined with missed state-level deadlines, created an access barrier that may have suppressed worker participation in the scheme's first full month of operation.
Which one of the following is correct?
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