Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a sharp expansion in works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), but concerns over pending liabilities—particularly in blocks like Nowshera in Rajouri—have brought payment delays into focus, even as the Centre reiterated that the scheme is “demand-driven” and implementation rests with the Union Territory administration.
According to a Lok Sabha reply, 4,80,135 works are ongoing in J&K in 2025-26, with an expenditure of ₹1,25,056.86 lakh, marking a significant increase from 3,89,873 ongoing works in 2024-25 involving ₹92,209.66 lakh expenditure.
At the same time, 46,178 works have been completed in 2025-26 with an expenditure of ₹7,361.56 lakh, compared to 1,81,828 completed works in 2024-25 involving ₹33,058.18 lakh, indicating a slowdown in completed works even as ongoing projects surge.
In Rajouri district, the scale of activity has also increased. During 2025-26, the district recorded 84,810 ongoing works with an expenditure of ₹16,594.09 lakh, up from 66,696 ongoing works in 2024-25 involving ₹10,450.59 lakh. Completed works in the district stood at 9,300 in 2025-26 (₹1,157.64 lakh), compared to 19,723 in 2024-25 (₹4,859.35 lakh).
At the block level, Nowshera presents a detailed picture of rising works. In 2024-25, a total of 655 works were completed with an expenditure of ₹218.46 lakh, while 2,032 works were ongoing involving ₹470.19 lakh. In 2025-26 (as on March 20, 2026), 229 works have been completed with an expenditure of ₹75.83 lakh, while ongoing works have increased to 2,873, with expenditure rising to ₹837.33 lakh.
Panchayat-wise data from Nowshera block shows significant variation in execution. For instance, Kalsian recorded one of the highest ongoing works at 339 in 2025-26, followed by Khamba (332) and Bhawani-A (336). On the other hand, smaller panchayats like Rajal-A (121) and Choki (157) had relatively fewer ongoing works. In terms of expenditure, Kalsian (₹109.39 lakh) and Bhawani-A (₹105.69 lakh) accounted for some of the highest spending in 2025-26.
Despite this surge in activity, the issue of pending liabilities for previously sanctioned works remains a concern. The Centre, however, did not provide specific details on unpaid dues, stating instead that MGNREGS is a demand-driven scheme guaranteeing 100 days of unskilled work per rural household, and that its implementation is the responsibility of the State/UT governments.
The Ministry clarified that funds are not released directly to districts or blocks, but are routed through the State Nodal Account (SNA-SPARSH system) to the UT government, which then disburses them further.
Financially, ₹190.68 crore was released to J&K under the material component in 2024-25, while ₹125.30 crore has been released so far in 2025-26, indicating a drop in fund flow in the current fiscal.
