Nagaland has deleted a total of 104 fake job cards under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) over the past three financial years, according to data presented by the Union Ministry of Rural Development in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
While the numbers in Nagaland remain relatively low compared to other states, the data shows a fluctuating trend in cancellations. In 2022–2023, 35 fake job cards were removed. This number slightly decreased to 22 in 2023–2024 but rose again to 47 in the ongoing financial year of 2024–2025.
The data is part of a broader effort by the central government to monitor and clean the MGNREGS database, which saw over 10 lakh deletions nationwide over the three-year period.
In total, 759,362 fake job cards were deleted in 2022–2023, followed by 289,626 in 2023–2024 and 58,826 in 2024–2025.
Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of deletions overall, with over 4.5 lakh fake job cards removed during the period. In stark contrast, Goa and Andaman & Nicobar Islands reported minimal or no deletions. Goa had just 1 deletion in 2023-24 while Andaman & Nicobar Islands had 2 deletions in 2024-25 during the three-year period.
The Ministry clarified that the responsibility for implementing MGNREGS lies with the respective state governments, and that action against irregularities—such as investigations or criminal proceedings—must also be taken at the state level as per existing laws and guidelines. It noted that it does not maintain data on arrests or prosecutions related to fake job cards.
The figures were shared by Union Minister of State for Rural Development, Kamlesh Paswan, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
