Jaipur: Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has flagged pending liabilities of Rs 2,014.39 crore under MGNREGA scheme in Rajasthan from 2019-20 to 2023-24, with the bulk of the dues linked to the material component of the rural employment scheme.The liability was pending as of Sept 2025, according to a CAG report on implementation of MGNREGA. Of the total pending liability of Rs 1,892.67 crore, nearly 94% was towards the material component, raising concerns about delayed payments to suppliers and other stakeholders.The audit also found that the state had released only 64.45% of Centre’s share for material and administrative expenses, along with its corresponding matching share, from 2019-20 to 2023-24.The release of funds was delayed by 3 to 169 days beyond the prescribed period. The delay during 2019-20 and 2020-21 resulted in an interest liability of Rs 9.08 crore for the state govt. The state accepted the audit finding and attributed the delay to the time taken in the procedure for releasing funds.CAG found that committed liabilities were particularly high in the material component. Against a demand of Rs 12,241.95 crore towards Centre’s material-component share during 2019-24, there was a short transfer of Rs 3,944.02 crore.The audit also highlighted pending wage payments. A total of 25.98 lakh transactions worth Rs 457.17 crore relating to unskilled wages were rejected during 2019-24. While 94.96% of these transactions were regenerated, 1.29 lakh transactions involving Rs 22.35 crore remained pending at the bank level as of Sept 2025. Of this, Rs 17.60 crore was from 2019-21 and remained unpaid for four to five years.The material component showed a larger backlog. Of the 1.86 lakh rejected transactions worth Rs 909.96 crore, 0.37 lakh transactions involving Rs 353.39 crore were still pending at the bank level, while another Rs 9.93 crore in transactions was awaiting regeneration. The state attributed some wage-payment failures to incorrect IFSC codes and non-linkage of Aadhaar with bank accounts.In five test-checked districts, the pending liability stood at Rs 375.78 crore, with the material component accounting for 93.89%. Jaisalmer recorded the highest liability, followed by Banswara and Nagaur, while Kota recorded the lowest.CAG said the accumulation of liabilities, particularly delays in payments to unskilled labourers, could undermine the core objective of MGNREGA: providing livelihood security to rural households.
