Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goa has recorded one of the highest rates of delayed wage payments under the rural employment guarantee programme, with 25 per cent of payments to workers taking more than 15 days during 2025-26.
Data presented by the Ministry of Rural Development in the Rajya Sabha shows that Goa ranked fifth among states and Union Territories for delayed wage disbursements.
The national average was significantly lower, with only 3.75 per cent of payments taking longer than 15 days.
Andaman & Nicobar Islands recorded the highest proportion of delayed payments at 64.7 per cent, followed by Manipur at 48 per cent, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu at 34 per cent, and Nagaland at 30 per cent.
Under the provisions governing the scheme, workers are eligible for compensation when wages are not paid within the prescribed timeframe. Compensation is calculated at 0.05 per cent of the unpaid amount for every day of delay beyond the 16th day after closure of the muster roll.
The Ministry said wages are transferred directly into workers’ bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer system. Payments are initiated after the respective state governments generate Fund Transfer Orders.
Nationally, 96 per cent of FTOs generated by states during 2025-26 were issued within 15 days of the closure of muster rolls.
The data also points to a decline in central funds received by Goa under the employment scheme. The state was allocated ₹2.98 crore in 2025-26, compared with ₹3.7 crore during 2024-25.
At the same time, participation in the scheme has fallen in Goa. The number of people who received employment declined from 3,478 in 2021-22 to 2,585 in 2025-26.
The rural employment guarantee programme has since been renamed the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act (VB-GRAM-G). Under the revised framework, the employment guarantee has been increased to 125 days per rural household.
