Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has issued a decisive directive to the Panchayati Raj Department to immediately halt the use of machines in MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) projects across Odisha.
Emphasizing a labour-first approach, the Chief Minister said that all MGNREGA work must henceforth be executed by employing local labourers.
Speaking at a state-level conference of Chief Development Officers (CDOs) and Block Development Officers (BDOs) in Bhubaneswar, Majhi said, “We will not allow machines in MGNREGA. Guidelines to this effect will be issued soon. This is a challenge we must take seriously to ensure employment reaches the rural poor and prevents distress migration.”
Highlighting deep-rooted irregularities in the system, the Chief Minister noted that MGNREGA work is often being carried out using machines, while the muster rolls feature fabricated entries. “Names like ‘Ram’ or ‘Dam’ are written in muster rolls while machines do the work. In some cases, college lecturers or doctors are listed as beneficiaries. This is clear fraud,” he said.
Majhi emphasized that proper implementation of MGNREGA is not just a procedural concern but a critical mission to safeguard livelihoods in rural Odisha. He called on officers to treat this as a governance priority and align with the state’s commitment to transparency and grassroots employment generation.
The Chief Minister’s crackdown on machine use and fraudulent labour entries marks a significant push toward restoring the original intent of the MGNREGA scheme — to provide guaranteed wage employment to the rural poor through manual work.
This move is expected to have wide-ranging implications, especially in tribal and migration-prone districts, where effective implementation of MGNREGA can serve as a crucial social safety net.
