May day is just around the corner. As a workers group with primarily rural women members, we celebrate May day every year – sometimes at the panchayat level, sometimes at the district level and sometimes at state-level events.Our members make NREGA work by forming their own groups and demanding the right to work, putting forward women “mates” who record attendance both online and offline. They work according to measurement and demand full wages. They gather their collective courage to form a united front, supporting each other through every struggle. But this year, as we deliberate on our slogans for May day, our hearts are heavy. A global climate of war has left human lives incredibly vulnerable. Labour struggles are being crushed everywhere and anti-worker laws are being imposed without discussion or consensus. There is a total lack of sensitivity within the system. Many sathis remain locked in jails or confined to their homes, while the hard-won victories of labour organisations are being rolled back. Swallowing their despair, workers must now brace themselves for the long and tough fight ahead to establish their rights.These workers lost 233 work days to NMMS app. Photo: Author provided.This year, the government hasn’t increased NREGA wages by a single rupee. The program had already been systematically weakened out under the guise of budgetary constraints and technological improvements. In December 2025, without any prior notice or public consultation, the Union government cancelled NREGA entirely. In its place, they introduced a new law in the name of ‘Ram,’ effectively turning a legal right to work into a matter of Union government’s discretion.”Alongside this, workers are bearing the brunt of technology. The purpose of technology should be to empower workers, assist them in their tasks and keep the system running smoothly. But the exact opposite is happening: instead of providing work, technology is depriving people of it; it is denying them payment even after they have worked, and pushing vulnerable sections into deeper insecurity. This has proven absolutely true in the context of the NREGA Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) app introduced for taking attendance through face-based recognition.Photo: Author provided.Workers earning Rs 281 a day must have their attendance marked through the app that runs on a phone costing Rs 10,000-15,000. This is not a government expense. The mates, earning just Rs 281 daily, must buy the phone themselves. Even if they manage to get a phone, there is still no guarantee that attendance will be recorded.Teething technical problems are understandable and may be expected, but who bears the burden of these failures? Not the decision makers, the developers of these applications or the agencies responsible for implementing and monitoring this technology.The consequences are entirely borne by the workers. They face the loss of time, loss of wages, and total uncertainty. The entire system tells them only one thing: “If the app works, you work; otherwise, you won’t get paid.” Workers are being forced to dance like puppets controlled by a machine. What we have been seeing in the context of gig workers is now the reality for NREGA workers too.This app is updated frequently and every update causes havoc. Sundays are chosen for updates – a day when no one is available to help the workers. All messages are in code or English. No one is there to tell them that “K-100” means you need to update your photo in the database. Workers and mates spend their time just trying to operate the app, and in many cases, they lose an entire day’s work.The system forces workers to complete e-KYC processes and update Aadhaar details several times. This process is time-consuming and despite repeated attempts, there is no clear or reliable assurance that completing these steps will ensure successful attendance registration. Moreover, Aadhaar service centers are charging Rs 200 for services that are officially priced at Rs 50, adding to the workers’ financial burden.The system is designed to allow exceptions where attendance cannot be registered. But it failed to provide relief to workers as it involves another app which has to be operated by the administration. If the app updates, attendance won’t be recorded. Server down? No attendance. No network? No attendance. Is the app version old? No attendance. If the light is too bright, your photo won’t be captured. If there was a death in the family or you got a haircut, your attendance won’t get marked. If the app fails to match your face, your attendance fails. These are all failures of the app, not the workers. Yet, it is the worker’s time and wages that are lost.Whether you are a single woman whose survival depends on these wages, whether you have walked 3 km in the scorching sun, whether you are hungry, whether your children are waiting at home or your livestock needs tending to, the app cannot do anything about it. Only when the app works and declares that you are a human, your photo pixels match, and your thumbprint is correct, can you work. Otherwise, keep waiting. This is the “New World.”As we tirelessly document how technology is failing workers, what slogan should we give in this new world? “Workers of the world unite, fight against oppressive technology.” I wonder, if Gandhiji were here today, what slogan would he give? “Awaken humanity in technology.”If Ambedkar were here, what would he add? “No progress without Justice: If technology creates inequality, it is not an advancement – it is an atrocity. “If Bhagat Singh were here, what would his slogan be? “The worker is the master of her labour. Inquilab against the app too!”Madhulika works with Rajasthan Asangathit Mazdoor Union and Jungle Jameen Jan Sangathan, Dungarpur.