Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has made a major announcement for rural areas with the decision to issue Interim Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Cards under MGNREGA.
The Panchayati Raj & DW Department issued a notification directing officials to ensure that no eligible household is deprived of employment due to delay in finalization of the regular card.
According to the letter sent by Siddharth Shankar Swain, Director of Special Projects, the interim cards will be issued as the final Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Card is still under process at the Ministry of Rural Development level. The move is aimed at providing immediate relief and continuity in employment to rural families seeking work under the Vikash Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025.
The department has specified four categories of households that will be eligible for the interim card. These include newly registered households, households whose existing MGNREGA job card has become unusable, and households whose current job card does not have adequate space left for recording employment-related entries. In addition, any other willing household approved by the competent authority under the provisions of the Act will also be covered.
Officials clarified that even if an old job card has been damaged or lost, the family will still be entitled to receive a new interim card. Similarly, families who cannot get new entries made in their existing cards due to lack of space will also be issued an interim GRGC so that they can continue to avail job opportunities without interruption.
The Panchayati Raj Department has already communicated the decision to all Collectors, Zilla Parishad CEOs and BDOs across the state. Along with the letter, detailed guidelines have also been shared regarding the features, application process, validity of existing job cards, and the workflow for generation, printing, approval and issuance of the interim cards.
Under Section 3(1) of the Vikash Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025, every adult member of a rural household willing to do unskilled manual work is entitled to registration and issuance of a Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Card.
The issuance of interim cards is expected to ensure that this provision is implemented on the ground without delay.
