25% emoluments made after 15 days in FY25-26
Panaji: Goa is among the top five states/UTs in India in delayed MGNREGA wage disbursements with 25 per cent of payments due to workers during 2025-26, made beyond 15 days.
At the all-India level, only 3.75 per cent of payment to workers under the scheme is beyond 15 days, according to the Ministry of Rural Development.
Top four states/UTs with highest incidence of delayed wage payments include Andaman & Nicobar (64.7 per cent), Manipur (48 per cent), Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman, Diu (34 per cent), and Nagaland (30 per cent).
The ministry disclosed that as per the regulation (Schedule- II of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, wage seekers are entitled to receive compensation for the delay at the rate of 0.05 per cent, of the unpaid wages per day of delay beyond the 16th day of the closure of muster roll.
As per the scheme wages to workers are directly credited by the central government to the account of the beneficiaries under direct benefit transfer (DBT) protocol based on fund transfer orders (FTOs) generated by the respective states.
During 2025-26, 96 per cent of the FTOs by states were generated within 15 days of closure of muster rolls, said the ministry.
In another question raised in the Rajya Sabha on funds for the scheme, the ministry statistics revealed that the state received Rs 2.98 crore from the Centre in 2025-26, vis-à-vis Rs 3.7 crore in the previous year 2024-25.
As per the information shared, Goa over the years has witnessed a decrease in the number of people who availed of employment under the MGNREGA, from 3,478 persons in 2021-22, to 2,585 persons in 2025-26.
The MGNREGA scheme is now renamed as VBG-RAM-G – Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act.
The employment guarantee of the scheme has been enhanced to 125 days per rural household by the government.
