Biometric Attendance in MGNREGA: Challenges and Opportunities for Rural Vidarbha

thenewsdirt
Jun 9
6 min read

The rollout of biometric attendance systems under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) marked a significant change in the way India sought to administer its largest rural employment scheme.

Introduced nationally through a 2010 agreement between the Ministry of Rural Development and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), this system was intended to bring greater transparency and efficiency to wage disbursement. In rural Vidarbha, however, the experience with this technological intervention reveals a more complicated story.

Agricultural distress and widespread unemployment have made MGNREGA an essential support system in the region, but the implementation of biometric attendance has introduced new challenges to the delivery of this critical programme.

Evolving Policies and Technology in MGNREGA

Biometric attendance was introduced as part of a broader national initiative to digitise welfare schemes.

Through fingerprints or retina scans linked to Aadhaar numbers, the government sought to remove inconsistencies in attendance records and wage payments.

Over the years, the system evolved, with the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) app enabling real-time attendance tracking directly from worksites. Moving from standalone biometric devices to app-based solutions allowed for greater flexibility, particularly in areas with fluctuating internet connectivity.

Despite early plans to achieve nationwide implementation within two years of the 2010 agreement, progress was slower. The Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS), the backbone of the biometric system for wage payments, only became mandatory in January 2024.

This delay reflected the difficulties of establishing a uniform system in a country marked by deep regional variations in infrastructure and administration.

Rural Vidarbha, with its predominantly agrarian economy and frequent agricultural crises, presents a particularly difficult environment for biometric implementation.

The region depends heavily on MGNREGA as an employment alternative during periods of crop failure. However, the irregularity of internet connectivity and an unreliable power supply have hindered real-time biometric authentication, especially during peak participation periods. Administrative weaknesses further complicate the process.

Village panchayats in Vidarbha often lack the trained personnel necessary to manage decentralised MGNREGA schemes, a situation made worse by the migration of educated youth to urban areas.

Wage Disbursement Challenges and Structural Problems

Recent data highlights several shortcomings in the wage payment system, even after the introduction of biometric attendance.

An analysis of over 31 million wage transactions in 2021-22 showed that only 29% of payments were made within the mandated seven-day period.

The introduction of Aadhaar-based payments, rather than speeding up the process, appears to have added fresh complications. At the time ABPS became mandatory, only 43% of MGNREGA workers were eligible for the system, creating a divide between those who could be paid through ABPS and those who could not.

This dual structure has particular implications for Vidarbha. Workers here often rely on MGNREGA wages during agricultural crises, and delays can have serious consequences for households already burdened by debts and unstable income.

The nationwide financial impact of these delays could reach Rs 400 crore, with Vidarbha's vulnerable populations facing significant hardship as a result.

Beyond technology, deeper structural issues also affect the programme. The budget allocation for MGNREGA has steadily declined, from 0.41% of GDP in 2021-22 to 0.2% in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

This underfunding leaves the programme ill-equipped to meet demand during times of increased need, such as crop failures common in Vidarbha. No technological solution can address the problem of insufficient funds, and delays in wage disbursement are often due to slow fund releases from the central government rather than technical faults.

Despite these challenges, biometric attendance systems offer potential benefits for Vidarbha if implemented carefully. Transparency is one of the strongest arguments in favour of these systems.

States like Jharkhand, which linked Aadhaar to MGNREGA payments in 2013, have shown that biometric systems can reduce fraud by eliminating fake workers and ghost employees.

In a region like Vidarbha, where local power structures can influence employment allocation, objective biometric verification could limit manipulation and ensure that wages reach legitimate beneficiaries.

Biometric systems provide verifiable attendance data accessible to workers and oversight bodies alike, which can help to reduce corruption and empower workers. Administrative efficiency could also improve through automation, reducing the manual burden on staff and cutting down on human errors.

Tools like the NMMS app offer the potential for real-time oversight, particularly useful in Vidarbha’s geographically dispersed rural areas.

However, the pitfalls are equally significant. Technological exclusion remains a major risk. Older workers, persons with disabilities, and those engaged in manual agricultural labour often have difficulties with biometric authentication due to worn or damaged fingerprints.

Women, who form a substantial part of the MGNREGA workforce, may face additional barriers due to lower literacy rates and limited access to technology.

Poor internet connectivity further restricts the effective use of biometric systems in Vidarbha. In areas where devices cannot connect to central servers, workers are unable to register attendance, barring them from employment opportunities.

The unreliability of power supplies, particularly during peak agricultural seasons, compounds the problem. Without consistent electricity, biometric devices cannot function, and backup solutions are often unavailable.

Maintenance challenges are another major concern. Devices exposed to dust, heat, and rain, typical in Vidarbha’s agricultural settings, are prone to malfunctions.

The lack of technical support staff at the village level exacerbates these issues, and without regular maintenance, systems can fail for extended periods.

This dependency on technology without reliable backup mechanisms could disrupt the only form of employment available to many rural households during crises.

Implementation Barriers and the Way Forward

Vidarbha’s infrastructure deficiencies present fundamental barriers to biometric system success. Scattered settlements and poor telecommunications create dead zones without reliable internet, and frequent power outages make operating biometric devices challenging.

While solar-powered systems offer a partial solution, large-scale deployment remains limited.

Socio-cultural barriers also play a significant role. Literacy rates remain low in parts of rural Vidarbha, particularly among women and older adults, making it difficult for many workers to navigate biometric systems. Suspicion towards government data collection further complicates matters, deterring participation in MGNREGA schemes.

Language differences between official system interfaces and local dialects hinder effective communication, making it harder for workers to access the programme.

Administrative capacity constraints further hamper implementation. Shortages of programme officers and technical assistants delay the preparation of work plans, scrutiny, monitoring, and payments.

Introducing sophisticated technology without strengthening these administrative systems risks deepening existing gaps rather than closing them. Proper training for workers, panchayat members, and field staff is necessary but remains largely unmet due to resource limitations.

A phased implementation strategy would offer a more practical approach for Vidarbha. Focusing initially on areas with better infrastructure would allow for testing and adjustments before broader rollout. Pilot projects could identify region-specific challenges and refine systems based on local feedback.

During the initial stages, parallel manual attendance systems should be maintained to prevent disruption in wage disbursement if biometric systems fail.

Infrastructure development must go hand-in-hand with technological deployment. Telecommunications networks must be improved, and a reliable power supply must be ensured before full implementation.

Rugged, weather-resistant biometric devices and mobile-based solutions that can function offline could reduce operational challenges. Multilingual interfaces would help address language barriers and make the system more accessible.

Training programmes should be an integral part of the rollout, targeting not only technical staff but also workers and administrative personnel. Only through such an inclusive and gradual approach can biometric systems achieve their intended objectives in Vidarbha.

The experience of rural Vidarbha with biometric attendance systems under MGNREGA highlights the complicated reality of using technology to improve public welfare schemes.

While these systems offer clear advantages in reducing corruption and enhancing transparency, they also introduce new layers of complexity, particularly in regions grappling with infrastructural and administrative limitations.

Vidarbha’s unique socio-economic context makes it an important testing ground for understanding the real impact of biometric interventions. The success of such efforts will depend on recognising and addressing the specific challenges faced by the region, rather than assuming a one-size-fits-all solution.

Effective implementation requires not just technology, but investments in infrastructure, capacity building, and the design of systems that work for all categories of workers, especially those who depend most on MGNREGA for their survival.

By grounding technological interventions in the realities of rural Vidarbha, it is possible to ensure that innovations such as biometric attendance systems do not just promise change but deliver meaningful improvements to the lives of those who need them most.