Even as the Punjab government recently passed a resolution opposing the Centre’s proposed Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act or the VB-G RAM G Act, nearly 2,100 staff members engaged in the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the state have not received their salaries at least for the past three months (October to December).
The unpaid staff include gram rozgar sewaks (GRS), technical assistants (TAs), assistant programme officers (APOs), accountants, IT managers, technical managers, district coordinators, computer operators, etc who manage the day-to-day logistics, data entry and monitoring of MGNREGS works across Punjab. Their salaries are paid from the contingency fund, which constitutes six per cent of the total MGNREGS budget.
According to aggrieved employees, the salary delays have stretched far beyond routine cycles. While the monthly salary of a GRS ranges from Rs 10,700 to Rs 17,000, that of a TA is between Rs 17,500 and Rs 28,000. APOs draw between Rs 20,000 and Rs 40,000 per month, while computer operators are paid between Rs 11,000 and Rs 25,000, depending on experience and posting.
‘Is government’s job over after passing resolution?’
Raising concern over the prolonged delay, Tarsem Peter, president of the Pendu Mazdoor Union (PMU), said, “Out of the 2,100 staff deployed across the state, nearly 226 are TAs and they have not received salaries for the past six months, while the rest have been unpaid for three months.”
He added, “The MGNREGS budget lies with the Punjab government, and VB-G RAM G is to be implemented in the next financial year. What about the salaries of staff handling data and other works under MGNREGS in the current financial year? Is the government’s job over by merely passing a resolution against an Act already passed in Parliament? If they want MGNREGA to continue, why are they not concerned about paying salaries on time?”
The crisis is not limited to administrative staff. As per the MGNREGA portal, wages amounting to Rs 13.74 crore for unskilled workers are pending in the current financial year. Additionally, Rs 7.6 crore is pending for semi-skilled and skilled workers, while Rs 153.11 crore towards material purchases from various companies for village-level projects remains unpaid.
Expressing distress, Major Singh, a MGNREGS worker from Todar Mal village in Gurdaspur, said, “Many workers from our district, including me, have not received wages for over two months, even though we marked our attendance and worked as assigned.”
Utilisation Certificates worth Rs 350 crore submitted
Sources pointed out that under the routine payment cycle, wages are generally released within 15–20 days, and therefore some outstanding amounts often appear in financial reports as part of an ongoing process. Additionally, funds are released based on the submission of Utilisation Certificates (UCs) for completed projects. Highly placed sources revealed that UCs worth nearly Rs 350 crore for completed projects were submitted on December 31, 2025, and that salaries and wages will be released only after funds are received. Contingency funds are also issued following the submission of UCs, sources added.
Despite this explanation, officials remained tight-lipped on the salary delay. Officials from the Ludhiana district administration confirmed that the salaries of employees across the state are pending. An official said, “The state has been told to take up the matter with the Centre.”
When asked whether the wages are released from the contingency funds earmarked at the beginning of the financial year, the officials refused to comment.
Under new scheme, works ‘may come to a halt’ in Punjab
The unpaid staff now fear job losses amid uncertainty over the future of MGNREGS implementation. Addressing workers during the MGNREGS Bachao Sangram in Bathinda on Sunday, Bhupesh Baghel, All India Congress Committee general secretary in charge of Punjab, echoed these concerns.
He said, “Gram sewaks and other staff members told us that when the state government had to contribute only a 10 per cent share, even that was arranged with great difficulty. With a proposed 40 per cent share under the new scheme, works are likely to come to a halt in Punjab, and staff as well as workers may eventually lose their jobs and workdays.”
With salaries and wages pending, and uncertainty looming over future funding patterns, both MGNREGA staff and workers say the scheme’s future in Punjab remains clouded, even as political battles over alternative employment models intensify.
Nearly 2,100 MGNREGS staff in Punjab have not been paid for at least three months, while crores in worker wages and material payments remain pending. (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh) 
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