Comptroller and Auditor General of India Flags 14.82 Lakh Incomplete MGNREGA Works in Jammu Kashmir, Rs 1,897 Crore Already Spent

Comptroller and Auditor General of India Flags 14.82 Lakh Incomplete MGNREGA Works in Jammu Kashmir, Rs 1,897 Crore Already Spent

SRINAGAR, October 6, 2026, [VoM News]: The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is again under the scanner as nearly 14.82 lakh works taken up under the scheme in Jammu and Kashmir remained incomplete as of March 2024, despite expenditure of Rs 1,897.10 crore on the.

These findings have been framed by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).

The CAG report, which was recently tabled in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, has raised the concerns as it examined the implementation of the rural employment scheme during the five-year period from 2019-20 to 2023-24.

As per the audit, 27.14 lakh works were planned during the period, of which 20.16 lakh were taken up for execution, out of which only 5.34 lakh works were completed, leaving 14.82 lakh nearly 74 per cent of those taken up unfinished.

The CAG stated that the reasons for non-completion could not be established from the records made available to the audit.

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The audit has also flagged pending liabilities of Rs 704.39 crore as of March 2024, which includes Rs 49.19 crore in unskilled wages, Rs 646.92 crore towards material and skilled or semi-skilled wages, and Rs 8.28 crore in administrative expenditure.

Against Rs 1,333.25 crore spent on material, including skilled and semi-skilled wages, during the five-year period, Rs 646.92 crore around 49 per cent remained outstanding.

As per CAG report, some of these payments had remained unsettled for periods ranging from one to five years, pointing to shortcomings in financial management and timely settlement of liabilities.

The CAG also examined the transfer of MGNREGA funds to the State Employment Guarantee Fund (SEGF).

Under conditions attached to Government of India sanction orders, the UT administration was required to transfer funds to the SEGF within three to 15 days of receiving them.

However, the audit found delays ranging from four to 122 days in the release of Rs 2,150.39 crore by the J&K Finance Department between 2019-20 and 2023-24.

The CAG calculated that these delays could have attracted an interest liability of Rs 44.18 crore, though the audit records did not indicate that the interest had been claimed.

Another major concern highlighted by the audit was the rejection of 3,16,178 MGNREGA transactions involving Rs 77.24 crore during the five-year period.

Of these, 2,83,196 transactions — around 90 per cent — related to unskilled workers’ wages amounting to Rs 48.91 crore.

The report attributed the rejected transactions mainly to dormant or changed bank accounts, incorrect account details, IFSC discrepancies and failure to link beneficiaries’ Aadhaar numbers with their bank accounts.

Of the total rejected transactions, 2,67,321 transactions involving Rs 65.45 crore were subsequently regenerated.

However, 40,349 transactions worth Rs 8.26 crore remained pending at the bank level as of March 2024, with the audit saying no reasons for the delay were recorded.

The audit also assessed MGNREGA’s objective of providing up to 100 days of guaranteed wage employment annually to eligible rural households.

Between 2019-20 and 2023-24, 37,82,594 households demanded employment in Jammu and Kashmir, while 34,99,449 households, around 93 per cent were provided work.

However, only 77,512 households, around two per cent of those that demanded employment, received 100 days of employment during the five-year period, according to the CAG.

The audit further stated the rejected transactions and delays in paying wages, material costs and administrative expenses contributed to accumulated liabilities, while vendors were also affected by payments remaining outstanding over extended periods.