Major Fraud Unearthed in MGNREGA Scheme in Hamirpur: Fake Photos of Workers Expose Scam

A major irregularity has come to light in the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) scheme in Uttar Pradesh’s Hamirpur district, where fake attendance and manipulated photographs were allegedly used to siphon off government funds. The scam surfaced after images of workers—some wearing only vests, shirts, and gamchas despite severe winter conditions, and even minors—were uploaded on official portals to show false employment records.

The shocking revelations have prompted the district administration to order a probe into 16 gram panchayats under the Muskara development block.

Fake Muster Rolls Amid Severe Cold

The alleged fraud took place at a time when the region was grappling with dense fog and biting cold. On the very first day of the New Year, records showed that 2,913 labourers were engaged in 51 construction works, backed by 309 muster rolls across 16 village panchayats.

However, scrutiny of the uploaded photographs revealed glaring discrepancies. Instead of hundreds of workers, the images showed barely 30–40 labourers, many of whom appeared inadequately dressed for the harsh weather. Shockingly, the same photographs were allegedly reused 15–20 times across different muster rolls to falsely inflate attendance.

Villagers alleged that identical images were uploaded for works in multiple gram panchayats, clearly indicating that attendance was fabricated. In some cases, minor boys were also seen standing among labourers, raising serious concerns about child labour violations.

Inflated Claims, Ground Reality Contradicts

According to official records, large numbers of workers were shown as employed in various projects:

• Gahrauli gram panchayat: 435 labourers for CC road and kharanja works
• Khadehi Lodhan: 472 labourers for drain digging and pond beautification
• Kandhauli: 316 labourers
• Baswari: 188 labourers
• Gundela: 222 labourers

Yet, none of the uploaded photographs corroborated these figures. Similar discrepancies were found in villages such as Tehar, Bihuni Kala, Ruri Para, and Baswari, among others. Investigations further revealed that old photographs were re-uploaded on the government portal to generate fresh muster rolls and claim payments.

Officials Order Investigation, Promise Strict Action

Despite the rebranding of MGNREGA as the “Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural)”, officials admitted that ground-level implementation continues to suffer from systemic flaws.

DC MGNREGA Raghavendra Singh confirmed that a detailed inquiry has been initiated and assured that strict action will be taken against those found guilty.
Meanwhile, Project Officer Naveen Kumar Gupta stated that complaints of irregularities have been received from several gram panchayats, including Mihuna and Gahrauli, and that departmental investigations are underway.

The exposure of this scam has raised serious questions about monitoring mechanisms in rural employment schemes and highlighted the urgent need for accountability to ensure that welfare funds reach genuine beneficiaries rather than being lost to corruption.