Congress corners Modi-govt over flaws in MNREGA digital attendance system
The debate around digital monitoring of MGNREGA workers appears set to intensify in the coming days as Congress on Thursday targeted PM Narendra Modi-led government over the operational failures of the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) app, calling it an “unworkable and counterproductive” tool for digital attendance under the MGNREGA scheme.
The party’s demand for its immediate withdrawal has come after the government recently acknowledged the problems with NMMS but persisting with measures.
Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh accused the government of hasty decision-making, stating that “FAST”, the government’s self-proclaimed motto, really stands for “First Announce, Second Think.”
Introduced in May 2022, the NMMS app was designed to ensure digital verification of attendance at MGNREGA worksites. However, Ramesh argued that the app has consistently failed in practice, and the Congress has repeatedly highlighted its flaws since its rollout.
A recent notification from the Union Ministry of Rural Development, issued on July 8, 2025, now acknowledges these operational challenges. “It was evident from day one that requiring workers to upload photos from remote worksites would exclude many genuine workers due to poor connectivity,” Ramesh said.
He further added that the NMMS has failed to prevent fraudulent entries. “Fake workers can simply show up twice a day to be photographed, get recorded, and receive wages without doing any actual work,” he pointed out. In some cases, random and unrelated photos are being uploaded, exposing the futility of the app.
Ramesh slammed the government’s new proposed solution, physical verification by officers in addition to photo uploads as being even more impractical. “This will burden MGNREGA functionaries with unnecessary verification work, distracting them from their core duties,” he said.
Highlighting broader concerns, Ramesh emphasised that the Congress and the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj have consistently urged reforms in MGNREGA implementation. Chief among these is the call for scrapping the NMMS model, restoring the principle of task-based payments, and simplifying wage disbursal.
He said the Congress’ commitment, as outlined in the party’s 2024 Nyay Patra to increasing MGNREGA wages to Rs 400 per day. He also demanded that the Aadhar-Based Payment Bridge System (ABPS) not be made mandatory, and insisted that wage payments be processed within the statutory 15-day period. Any delay, he said, must be compensated in full.
“The NMMS is not just flawed, it undermines the spirit of MGNREGA itself,” Ramesh said.
India