All MGNREGA workers moved to VB-G RAM G; e-KYC not a bar to jobs: Centre

The Union Rural Development Ministry has clarified that every worker registered under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has been migrated to the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), or VB-G RAM G, regardless of whether their job card e-KYC is complete.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Ministry said pending e-KYC does not prevent a worker from demanding or receiving employment under the scheme. The clarification came after a media report highlighted that job cards of around 57 lakh active workers had not yet completed the e-KYC process.

According to official data, e-KYC has been completed for 15.89 crore workers so far, including 10.27 crore of the 10.84 crore active workers — roughly 95 per cent. The Ministry did not dispute the reported figures but stressed that e-KYC is only a database-authentication measure, not a precondition for exercising the statutory right to demand work.

"Every worker registered under MGNREGA, irrespective of whether e-KYC has been completed, has been migrated to VB-G RAM G. Pending e-KYC does not prevent a worker from demanding or receiving employment," the statement said, adding that an exception mechanism exists to facilitate employment for those whose e-KYC is pending.

The Ministry noted that completing e-KYC is the responsibility of State and Union Territory governments, and the process is simple, usually taking less than 30 seconds. It also said that every worker who has demanded employment has been offered work, with around 2.11 crore workers offered jobs under VB-G RAM G so far.

The Centre has advised States to expedite the e-KYC process for all active workers while continuing to monitor the exercise. "No willing worker is deprived of employment merely because e-KYC is pending," the Ministry asserted.