MP becomes first to redirect MGNREGA wages:Now payments will go directly into women’s bank accounts instead of listed male household heads

The Madhya Pradesh government has taken a major step toward strengthening women’s financial independence by ensuring that MGNREGA wages are now deposited directly into women’s bank accounts, instead of those of male household heads. With this reform under the ‘Maa Ka Bagiya’ scheme, Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country to adopt such a model. Earlier system favoured male heads Until now, MGNREGA payments across India followed a uniform system:
The wages—whether earned by a man or a woman—were deposited only into the bank account of the male head of the household listed on the job card. When Madhya Pradesh proposed direct payment to women under Maa Ka Bagiya, it faced a key obstacle:
Most job cards listed only men as household heads, leaving women out of the payment system. A department review revealed that among nearly 31,500 groups in the state, less than 1 percent had women registered as heads. This created a technical barrier for direct transfers into women’s accounts. Centre approves special permission after state’s proposal To resolve this, the state government sent a proposal on 2 September 2025 to the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, requesting an amendment in rules to allow direct payment to women. On 17 November, the Centre granted special approval.
However, it added a condition: written consent from the male head of the household will be required for transferring wages into the woman’s bank account. National software updated; new system effective for work started after August 15 Following Madhya Pradesh’s request, the national MGNREGA software has been updated to include a new option that allows the job card to be linked directly to a woman’s name. The revised system will apply to all MGNREGA works initiated after 15 August 2025. MGNREGA Commissioner Avi Prasad confirmed that the software modification has already been completed. About ‘Maa Ka Bagiya’ scheme