MGNREGA demand drops 27% in September, third monthly fall in a row

MGNREGA work demand fell 27.1% in September 2025, marking the third straight monthly decline, as kharif sowing, budget curbs and heavy rains reduced rural job uptake

Demand for work under the MGNREGA scheme dropped by 27.1 per cent in September compared to the same month last year.  September was the third straight month when demand for the scheme saw a fall.  Some experts said the drop in demand is mainly due to a spike in sowing of kharif crops that continued well into the month.  Civil society felt the dip could also be due to a squeeze in funding with the Centre directing states to cap MGNREGA labour budget spending to 60 per cent in the first six months.  Incessant rains in rural India that continued in September could be another reason for the falling demand.