New Delhi: About 57 lakh active workers are awaiting e-KYC verification two months after the launch of the new rural employment scheme, the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) that has replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), The Hindu has reported.While Union rural development minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had said that existing e-KYC-verified job cards will remain valid until the issuance of the new Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Cards to ensure uninterrupted access to employment and timely payment of wages, the report said the rate of registered workers stood at 71% two months after the new scheme was launched. While the e-KYC verification rate of active workers those who availed of work at least once in the last three years is at 94.88%. However, “this still leaves 57 lakh workers unverified,” the report mentioned.According to official data as of August 9, 2026 only 7.67 crore person-days were generated under the VB-GRAM G scheme in July 2026, which was 49.94% lower than the 15.33 crore person-days generated under MGNREGS in the same month last year. Also read: With MGNREGS Gone and VB-G RAM G In, Rural Jobs in July Fall 50% Year-on-Year: ReportA person-day is a unit of measurement based on the amount of work done by one person in a working day.The government has allowed exceptions in a few cases where job cards have not been e-KYC-verified. But it has also simultaneously made e-KYC verification a condition for availing of work under VB-GRAM G.An RTI application filed by Chakradhar Buddha of the National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI) revealed that at a meeting on January 30 the ministry asked the states to complete e-KYC verification of all remaining active workers within a week as part of the transition to the new VB-G RAM G system.Also read: Rollback of a Hard-Won Right: The Political Economy of Dismantling MGNREGAThe states were again asked to do so on February 12 by the end of the month. But seven months since, figures reveal that the targets have not been met.The report has also said that of the four states with the largest MGNREGS workforces, Tamil Nadu has the highest e-KYC rate in both categories, with 99.32% among active workers and 84.89% among all registered workers. This is followed by Rajasthan at 95.66% and 69.45%, Uttar Pradesh at 94.21% and 58.89%, and Andhra Pradesh at 90.4% and 82.32%. With 89.19% among active workers and 58.05% among all registered workers, Bihar is among the lowest rates for the latter category among large states.