Rajasthan has ordered block-level verification of nearly Rs 3,000 crore in pending MGNREGA material payments for 2024 and 2025, with the state government preparing to submit consolidated district reports to the Centre to seek release of the funds. The delayed payments have affected development works in gram panchayats and disrupted supplies from material vendors, according to officials and panchayat representatives.
The rural development department has directed officials to verify the outstanding material component payments at the block level. An official of the department told the Times of India that the exercise had already begun and that reports from all districts would be consolidated before being forwarded to the Centre.
“Once we receive reports from all the districts, we will send them to the Centre. The pending material component payments for 2024 and 2025 are being verified at the blocks,” the official said.
The verification follows concerns over the effect of the unpaid bills on development activity carried out through gram panchayats. In a representation to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Sarpanch Sangh Rajasthan and outgoing panchayat administrators said around Rs 3,200 crore due under the material component of MGNREGA had remained unpaid for nearly 30 months.
The association said the delay had affected development work in most gram panchayats. It also said material suppliers had disrupted supplies and were holding public representatives responsible for the pending payments. The representatives sought early release of the funds, saying this would help restart works and reduce the financial pressure on gram panchayats.
Material payments under the rural employment programme are separate from wage payments and are used for inputs required for approved works. In Rajasthan, the pending bills have remained unresolved even as the Centre introduced the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Grameen), or VB-G RAM-G, in July to replace MGNREGS. The state government’s verification exercise relates to material component payments under the earlier scheme.
The issue comes as Rajasthan seeks a larger employment guarantee under the new rural employment programme in areas facing drought conditions. A rural development department official said the state had written to the Centre requesting an increase in the annual employment guarantee from 125 to 150 days in drought-affected districts.
The request follows the state government’s declaration of 80 tehsils across 14 districts as drought-affected for the 2026 kharif season. The declaration cited deficient rainfall and adverse crop conditions. The state’s request for additional employment days and its effort to verify earlier unpaid material bills are now proceeding alongside each other.
The rural development department is expected to forward the consolidated verification reports to the Centre after receiving submissions from all districts. The release of the pending funds will depend on the Centre’s consideration of those reports and the state’s request.
