New Delhi: The central government on Tuesday rejected allegations of delay in the release of MGNREGA funds, as Congress MP from Kerala, Adoor Prakash, highlighted a severe delay in wage payments under the rural employment scheme. "1.86 lakh MGNREGS workers opted out of the scheme in the past year due to delay in payments and low remuneration," he said.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha during Question Hour, Prakash pointed out that MGNREGA workers in Kerala had not received wages for the past three months, with dues amounting to ₹811 crore. He also stressed that the decline in Kerala’s workforce under the scheme was a direct result of delayed payments and low wages.

"The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development has recommended linking MGNREGA wages to inflation and increasing workdays to 150. Will the government ensure the pending amount is released without delay?" Prakash asked.

Minister of State for Rural Development Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani refuted the allegations, stating that Kerala had already received nearly ₹3,000 crore this year and ₹3,500 crore last year. "The release of payments is a continuous process, and whatever is pending will be cleared within the next few weeks," he assured. He further added that Kerala has one of the highest wages after Haryana with ₹350.

The discussion led to protests from opposition MPs, with DMK and Trinamool Congress members storming the well of the House. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged them to return to their seats, but as they refused, the House was adjourned till 12 pm. MPs from Tamil Nadu also voiced concerns over the delay, with DMK’s Kanimozhi stating that ₹4,034 crore in MGNREGA wages had been pending for the past five months.

The government maintained that MGNREGA payments follow a structured process. Pemmasani explained that delays beyond 15 days attract a penalty of 0.05 per cent interest, which is initially paid by state governments and later reimbursed by the Centre. He further noted that Tamil Nadu had received ₹7,300 crore under the scheme so far.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan defended the Centre, asserting that the Modi government had never discriminated against any state in MGNREGA fund allocation. "Pending dues, including material costs, will be released soon," he said, citing a significant increase in allocations compared to the UPA era.