Condemning the BJP-led Central government for allegedly not disbursing salaries for MGNREGA workers in Tamil Nadu for nine weeks, Virudhunagar Member of Parliament Manickam Tagore on Sunday said that this has impacted around 91 lakh workers.—The New Indian Express, Monday, October 23, 2023

Unpaid MGNREGA beneficiaries of Goa forced to borrow money and plead for work.— O Heraldo, Monday, October 23, 2023

Delays in the disbursement of MGNREGA scheme wages in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur have led to severe financial stress, people here say, with some being forced to borrow money from private lenders at high interest rates.  —The Hindu, Wednesday, September 13, 2023

On its part, the government says that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is a “demand driven wage employment programme and fund release to States and Union Territories (UTs) is a continuous process” and that the Centre “is making funds available keeping in view the demand for work”. It has also been reiterated that the Ministry of Rural Development “releases funds to the States/UTs on the basis of agreed to Labour Budget (LB), opening balance, pending liabilities of the previous year, if any, and overall performance. The Ministry seeks additional fund for MGNREGS as and when required for meeting the demand for work on the ground”.