Bhubaneswar, July 24: In a startling revelation from the Lok Sabha, Odisha has emerged as the second-highest state in India for fake job card deletions under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Nearly 1.5 lakh fraudulent job cards were removed from the system between 2022 and 2025, raising serious concerns about corruption and misuse of public funds.

According to official data, Odisha saw the deletion of 1,14,454 fake job cards in 2022–23, followed by 22,264 in 2023–24 and 7,566 in 2024–252. Bihar topped the list, but Odisha’s consistent ranking among the top three states has triggered political accusations and counter-accusations between the ruling BJP and opposition BJD.

Jajpur MP Rabinarayan Behera of the BJP cited local examples to criticize the previous BJD-led government, alleging that fake job cards were used to siphon off funds meant for rural workers.

Panchayati Raj Minister Rabi Narayan Nayak echoed the sentiment, stating that contractors and officials colluded to loot wages by creating ghost beneficiaries during the previous BJD government.

The issue gained further traction when the Minister reportedly exposed irregularities during a ground-level inspection in Binika two months ago. Allegations include machine-based work being falsely recorded as manual labour and workers not receiving employment despite holding valid job cards.

BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty defended the previous government, calling the accusations politically motivated, while BJP’s Biranchi Tripathy demanded accountability and action against officials involved.

The revelations have sparked a wider debate on transparency and governance in rural employment schemes. Citizens and watchdogs are now urging the Odisha government to take decisive action against those responsible and ensure genuine beneficiaries are protected.

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