Length of the last mile: Delays and hurdles in NREGA wage payments

This report focuses on the last mile challenges faced by Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) workers in accessing their wages after the wages have been credited to the workers’ bank or postal accounts. It is based on a survey of 1947 workers conducted in the first half of the financial year 2018-19 in one block each of Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Rajasthan (RJ) and two blocks of Jharkhand (JH). The report addresses workers’ awareness about some banking norms, access to information, hardships in accessing wages, transparency and accountability of disbursement agencies, issues concerning payments that get rejected and the workers’ experience of using grievance redressal systems. It offers a set of recommendations for improvement.

• Date: 06/11/2010
• Sector: Agriculture
• Topics: Digital technology, Financial education, Gender equality, Inclusive finance, Sustainable enterprises, Workers' rights
• Regions: Asia and the Pacific
• Resource type: Publications
• Institutions: Azim Premji University