• By Vaamanaa Sethi
  • Thu, 24 Aug 2023 05:39 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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The deadline for implementing the Aadhaar-based payment system as the only mode of payment to workers under national rural job guarantee scheme MGNREGS will not be extended beyond August 31, a government official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

In January, the union government made the use of Aadhaar-based payment system (ABPS) mandatory for paying wages to those enrolled under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).

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The deadline announced by the government for the adoption of  ABPS mode was February 1, which was later extended to March 31, then till June 30, and eventually till August 31.

Officials in the rural development ministry have made it clear that the deadline will not be extended any further as over 90% of active workers' accounts have already been linked with Aadhaar.

Out of the total 14.28 crore active beneficiaries, Aadhaar number has been seeded with 13.75 crore, according to data revealed by the ministry in June. And, a total of 12.17 crore Aadhaar numbers have been authenticated and 77.81 per cent were found eligible for ABPS at that time.

In May this year, around 88% of the wage payments were made through ABPS. According to a written reply by rural development minister Giriraj Singh in Parliament, as quoted by PTI, bank accounts of around 1.13 crore MGNREGS workers, or around 8% of the total active workers under the scheme, are yet to be seeded with Aadhaar.

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Singh further said that the North-eastern states are lagging behind in the process, with accounts of more than 42% workers in Assam, around 23% in Arunachal Pradesh, over 70% in Meghalaya, and 37% in Nagaland not being seeded with Aadhaar numbers.

Ministry officials are looking to achieve 100% ABPS adoption by urging the states to organise camps and follow up with beneficiaries.