SRINAGAR: More than 46,000 projects have been finalized under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) across Jammu and Kashmir in the current financial year, with an additional 4.8 lakh initiatives currently in progress, according to information provided to Parliament by the Union Ministry of Rural Development.
Information was available with The Chenab Times indicating that as of March 20, 2026, a total of 46,178 works had been successfully completed throughout the Union Territory during the 2025-26 fiscal period. These completed projects involved an expenditure of Rs 7,361.56 lakh. Concurrently, 4,80,135 works are under active execution, with a substantial expenditure of Rs 1,25,056.86 lakh recorded for these ongoing projects.
The Ministry of Rural Development also provided data for the preceding financial year, 2024-25. During that period, 1,81,828 works were completed, incurring an expenditure of Rs 33,058.18 lakh. At the close of that fiscal year, 3,89,873 projects remained under execution, with spending amounting to Rs 92,209.66 lakh.
Detailed figures were also released for the district of Rajouri. In this district, 9,300 works have been completed during the current financial year, with an associated cost of Rs 1,157.64 lakh. Furthermore, 84,810 works are currently underway in Rajouri, representing an expenditure of Rs 16,594.09 lakh. In the previous fiscal year, 2024-25, Rajouri had completed 19,723 works while 66,696 projects were ongoing.
Addressing concerns regarding outstanding liabilities within the MGNREGS framework, the Centre reiterated that the scheme operates as a demand-driven program. The implementation responsibility lies with the respective state and Union Territory governments. The Union government clarified its financial release mechanisms, stating that funds designated for the material component are disbursed to the state government via the SNA-SPARSH system. This system then facilitates the allocation of these funds to districts. The central government does not directly release material component funds to districts or blocks.
Further details shared with Parliament by the ministry indicated the quantum of funds released for the material component of MGNREGS in Jammu and Kashmir. For the fiscal year 2024-25, the Centre released Rs 190.68 crore. In the current financial year, up to March 19, 2026, a sum of Rs 125.30 crore has been released for the material component.
The Chenab Times News Desk