VISAKHAPATNAM: Employment generation under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has witnessed a sharp decline in Andhra Pradesh during the first half of the 2025-26 financial year, according to the latest MGNREGA Tracker released by LibTech India.
The report, based on official MGNREGA MIS data (nrega.nic.in) for April-September 2025, highlights a sharp drop in both employment and household participation, coupled with growing digital exclusion due to the mandatory Aadhaar-based eKYC requirement.
The report shows that persondays generated in Andhra Pradesh fell by 13.6%, a steep decline than the national average of 10.4%.
The number of participating households also decreased from 42.79 lakh to 40.74 lakh, marking a 4.8% drop compared to the previous year.
Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe workers were disproportionately affected with persondays declining by 18.7% and 17% respectively, compared to an 11.3% fall among other categories.
This reduction in work opportunities has directly impacted household incomes. The average income generated per MGNREGA household dropped by 4.8%, from Rs 10,695 in 2024-25 to Rs 10,178 in 2025-26.
LibTech advocates for suspension of Aadhaar-based eKYC requirement
Despite a marginal increase in the notified wage rate from Rs 300 to Rs 307 per day, workers collectively earned around Rs 435 crore, less than last year due to reduced work availability.
At the district level, NTR recorded the steepest fall with a 44.7% decline in persondays generated, followed by Chittoor with a 31.3%. In contrast, Nellore and Visakhapatnam were the only districts to register positive growth, increasing employment generation by 4.8% and 4.1% respectively. Palnadu remained largely stable, showing a marginal decline of 0.4%.
The report cautioned that the ongoing Aadhaar eKYC mandate could further deepen the crisis. In Andhra Pradesh, nearly 38 lakh registered workers are yet to complete eKYC verification, while over 21 lakh active workers remain unverified.
“Many have been unable to complete the process due to migration for seasonal work, technical errors, and poor internet connectivity in rural areas,” the report cited.
LibTech India urged the State government to request the Centre to suspend the mandatory Aadhaar-based eKYC requirement, noting that such digital filters, intended to prevent fraud, are in practice excluding genuine workers from accessing employment and wages. It also recommended that the government hold consultations with worker groups, civil society organisations, researchers, and Central authorities to address these challenges, and ensure that accountability measures do not come at the cost of exclusion.
LibTech India, a collective of engineers, social workers, and social scientists, has been working for over a decade to improve public service delivery across multiple States through research, field action, and data-driven advocacy.