Bhubaneswar: Amid ongoing concerns over law and order, the Mohan Majhi-led government in Odisha may face fresh criticism following the revelation of a large-scale deletion of fake job cards under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).

The Union Ministry of Rural Development has reported that over 10 lakh fake job cards were deleted across the country between 2022 and 2025, with states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha accounting for the highest number of deletions—pointing to widespread irregularities in grassroots-level record keeping.

This data was disclosed by Minister of State for Rural Development, Kamlesh Paswan, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha on July 22.

According to the ministry’s figures, the majority of deletions occurred during the 2024–25 financial year, especially in BJP-ruled states. Bihar topped the list with 8,111 fake job cards cancelled, followed by Odisha with 7,566, Assam with 7,341, and Chhattisgarh with 6,888 deletions—each marked under the reason "Fake Job Card."

Notably, Tamil Nadu, a non-BJP-ruled state, also recorded a significant number of deletions, with 6,000 fake job cards removed during the same financial year.

The revelation underscores the pressing need for improved oversight and transparency in the implementation of rural employment schemes, especially in states with high rural population dependency on MGNREGS.

State/Union Territory (UT)-wise number of fake job cards deleted under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last three financial yeas is given below: 

fake job cards