Rajasthan MGNREGA achievement sets a new benchmark as the state leads India in rural jobs before Diwali —

Jaipur, Oct.11,2025:Rajasthan MGNREGA achievement is the latest good news that many in the state had hoped to hear before Diwali. In the fiscal year 2024-25, Rajasthan has reportedly created the highest number of person-days under MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) among all states in India. This success arrives at an opportune moment to uplift rural livelihoods just before the festival season-

The Record-Setting Numbers in 2024-25

According to recent announcements and data from official sources, Rajasthan achieved 36.4 crore person-days of employment under MGNREGA in 2024-25, setting a new benchmark for the state. This places Rajasthan at the top of the list among all Indian states in terms of work generated under this major rural jobs programme.

To put that in perspective:

These figures are drawn from state announcements and align with trends reported by the MGNREGA MIS portal.

It’s important to note, however, that while Rajasthan leads overall, LibTech India’s national report indicates that Rajasthan saw a 15.9 % decline in person-days compared to the prior year. This shows that while the state is on top, growth rates are uneven.

Thus the phrase Rajasthan MGNREGA achievement reflects both a top performance in scale and the complex dynamics beneath the headline.

State wise Comparison

Rajasthan’s success does not exist in isolation. The following states also recorded strong performance under MGNREGA in 2024-25

• Uttar Pradesh: 34.7 crore person-days — second place
• West Bengal: 32.2 crore person-days — third place
• Madhya Pradesh: 31.8 crore
• Bihar: 28.5 crore
• Odisha: 24.3 crore
• Chhattisgarh: 21.6 crore

These figures confirm that Rajasthan’s lead was contested by large states with high rural populations, but the gap remains notable.

Wage Increase & Workers’ Real Gains

An integral part of the Rajasthan MGNREGA achievement is the wage structure:

• From 1 April 2024, the MGNREGA wage in Rajasthan was raised to ₹266 per day.
• In the prior year, 2023-24, it was ₹255 per day after the state got the highest increment among states in that period.
• In 2022-23, the daily wage was ₹231 under MGNREGA in Rajasthan.

This wage hike is intended to address inflation, cost of living, and to make rural work more attractive. However, the real gain for workers depends not just on nominal wages but on timely payments, actual work allocation, and material cost coverage.

What MGNREGA Actually Is

Understanding Rajasthan MGNREGA achievement requires knowing what MGNREGA does:

• MGNREGA (launched in 2005) guarantees at least 100 days of unskilled wage employment per rural household, when demanded.
• The work includes tasks like digging ponds, building rural connectivity, water conservation, land development, forest protection, etc.
• It is a demand-driven scheme: if people apply for work, the government must provide it (within 15 days).
• The scheme also mandates that a minimum of 60:40 wage to material ratio be maintained.
• Workers are supposed to receive wage payments within 15 days, failing which compensation is owed.
• Transparency is enforced through MIS (online data), social audits, and records of muster rolls.

Thus the scheme is more than a jobs programme; it’s a rural livelihood and asset-building programme.

Budgetary Support & State Allocation

A major pillar of the Rajasthan MGNREGA achievement is the backing of funds and budgetary prioritization.

Central Budget

For the financial year 2024-25, the central government allocated ₹86,000 crore to MGNREGA — reportedly the highest ever.

Rajasthan State Budgeting

Rajasthan did not carve out a distinct extra MGNREGA fund, but overall rural development was budgeted at ₹20,233.86 crore, of which ₹5,018.46 crore is earmarked for MGNREGA work.

This allocation is part of the state’s share of the central scheme and its rural development planning.

Challenges Beneath the Numbers

While Rajasthan MGNREGA achievement shines, several challenges lurk below the surface:

Declining Trends Nationally

• Nationally, person-days under NREGS in 2024-25 were less than 2023-24 (over 288 crore vs 312 crore) despite the scheme being demand-driven.
• LibTech’s report shows employment indicators falling: 7.1 % drop in person-days, 4.3 % decline in average days per household.
• In particular, Rajasthan witnessed a 15.9 % drop compared to the prior year in its share of person-days.

Delayed Payments & Administrative Hurdles

Delays in wage payments and fund flow often undercut the benefits to workers. LibTech notes that many payments under the Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS) were delayed or rejected.

Worker Deletions & Eligibility Issues

• Despite registering more households, Rajasthan also faced deletions of workers or jobcards, limiting participation.
• In some states, ABPS ineligibility (due to Aadhaar-bank mapping issues) kept many out of work.

Fiscal Limitations & Budget Constraints

While Rajasthan performed well, the challenge remains: does the allocation match growing demand? Lower initial budgets often lead to work-starving in practice.

Sustainability & Quality of Work

Providing any work is one thing; ensuring it creates lasting rural assets—water, connectivity, land restoration—is another. Critics argue that many works are cosmetic or poorly maintained.

Implications for Rural Rajasthan

The Rajasthan MGNREGA achievement carries both symbolic and material implications:

• Boost in rural incomes before Diwali can stimulate local economies, purchasing power, and morale.
• Political significance: A strong performance can resonate in upcoming state/national elections, especially in rural constituencies.
• Model for replication: If Rajasthan can combine scale with efficiency and transparency, it can serve as a model for other states.
• Social stability: Assured employment keeps migration in check and offers safety nets during distress periods (e.g., droughts, floods).

But only if the gains are equitably distributed, timely, and real will this achievement translate into long-term welfare.

Risks & Recommendations

Risks

1. Complacency — States may rest on laurels and reduce monitoring, leading to underperformance next year.
2. Budget cuts or ceilings — If central or state governments throttle funding, the system may strain.
3. Payment delays and exclusion — Workers may lose faith if payments are late or they are excluded unfairly.
4. Quality decline — If the focus shifts only to numbers, the long-term rural assets may degrade.
5. Rural distress rebound — If agriculture or other sectors weaken, demand might surge without matching capacity.

Recommendations

• Increase advance budgets so administrative units don’t ration work early in the year.
• Strengthen monitoring & audits, especially social audits, to guard against fraud and ensure quality.
• Resolve payment infrastructure issues, especially around ABPS and bank-Aadhaar mapping.
• Prioritize meaningful works (water conservation, irrigation, roads) so that assets last.
• Allow flexibility in work days beyond 100 in distress conditions, backed by budgetary leeway.
• Focus on inclusion, ensuring marginalized groups, women, and SC/ST communities benefit equally.

Rajasthan MGNREGA achievement is a commendable milestone, especially arriving just before Diwali when rural livelihoods matter most. The state’s feat of generating 36.4 crore person-days is powerful headline fodder. Yet, beneath that lie the stresses of declining trends, payment delays, budgetary constraints, and structural challenges.