MGNREGA wages revised to ₹369 in Kerala, hikes vary from 2% to 7% across India

New Delhi: The Centre has revised wage rates under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for the financial year 2025-26, with the increase ranging from 2.33% to 7.48% across states. The Ministry of Rural Development issued a notification on Thursday, revising the wages for the rural job guarantee programme.

Haryana continues to have the highest MGNREGA wage at ₹400 per day, while states like Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland have the lowest at ₹241 per day. In Kerala, wages were increased by ₹23, from ₹346 to ₹369. Odisha recorded the highest percentage hike at 7.48%, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh at 7.41%.

Southern states with significant rural employment demand, including Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, have seen wage hikes ranging from 5% to 6.65%. The new wage rates are determined based on changes in the Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL), ensuring that earnings keep pace with inflation. However, in some states, the hike may not be enough to offset rising living costs.

The wage revision comes amid political tension over delays in MGNREGA payments. The Lok Sabha witnessed protests during Question Hour on Tuesday as opposition MPs accused the Union government of failing to release pending funds under the scheme. The session was briefly adjourned following heated exchanges over wage arrears.

Congress MP Adoor Prakash highlighted that 1.86 lakh MGNREGS workers had opted out of the scheme in Kerala in the past year due to payment delays and low wages. He claimed that wages had not been disbursed for the past three months in Kerala, with outstanding dues amounting to ₹811 crore.

The central government has denied allegations of delays, but opposition leaders argue that the declining workforce participation in the scheme is directly linked to wage issues and irregular payments.