Overview
- Marking the law’s 20th anniversary, Jairam Ramesh said the programme’s outlook is bleak after hitting the 60% first‑half spending threshold within five months.
- Activists reported shrinking allocations are cutting rural women’s earnings, noting women completed 56% of person‑days this year and that only about ₹79 crore remains available in September under the cap.
- The opposition alleged 11 years of chronic underfunding with allocations effectively flat for three years despite inflation, and said 20–30% of each year’s budget goes to clearing past dues.
- Congress cited routine wage delays well beyond the 15‑day legal limit and minimal wage growth over the past decade, renewing a push for a ₹400 daily wage and a standing wage committee.
- Digital systems such as Aadhaar‑based payments and the NMMS attendance app were blamed for excluding over two crore workers, prompting demands to halt their mandatory use.