The e-KYC verification rate of registered workers stood at 71% two months after the launch of the new rural employment scheme, the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) [VB-G RAM G].
The Ministry has allowed exceptions in a few cases where job cards have not been e-KYC-verified and has reiterated that no eligible worker will be left behind, while simultaneously making e-KYC verification a condition for availing of work under VB-GRAM G. At a meeting on January 30, the Rural Development Ministry asked States to complete e-KYC verification of all remaining active workers within a week as part of the transition to the new VB-G RAM G system, an RTI application filed by Chakradhar Buddha of the National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI) revealed. Because of the gap between the Ministry’s deadlines and the pace of implementation on the ground, with e-KYC still pending for a section of active workers, and for a much larger section of all registered workers, the delay raises questions about whether workers could face difficulties accessing work.
The government earlier said that workers who got e-KYC verified under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) would be eligible to avail of work under the new scheme. On the eve of the nationwide rollout of VB-G RAM G, Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had given an assurance that “existing e-KYC-verified job cards will remain valid until the issuance of the new Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Cards, ensuring uninterrupted access to employment and timely payment of wages”.
