Sample RTI for MGNREGA wages / muster-roll — citizen guide 2026

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) entitles every rural household to 100 days of guaranteed wage employment per year. Implementation is by the Gram Panchayat (GP) → Block Development Officer (BDO) → District Programme Coordinator (DPC, usually the DM). The portal is NREGAsoft at nrega.nic.in.

• MGNREGA Act, 2005 — §3 (right to 100 days of wage work), §3(3) (compensation for delayed wages), §16 (right to time-bound work).
• Operational rules — MGNREGA Operational Guidelines 2013 (4th edition); state-specific MGNREGA Rules.
• Authority structure — Gram Panchayat (work allocation, muster roll) → BDO (technical sanction, work order) → DPC / DM (district-level supervision, fund release) → State Rural Development Department → MoRD (central).
• Public-authority status — every GP, BDO, DPC, State RD Department under §2(h) of the RTI Act.
• Constitutional anchor — Articles 39(a) (right to adequate means of livelihood), 41 (state's duty to secure right to work).

1. Muster-roll entry missing — your name not entered in the muster roll for the work-day. Most common silent stall.
2. NREGAsoft FTO (Fund Transfer Order) not generated — work-completion certificate issued but FTO pending.
3. Bank account de-seeded from NREGAsoft — Aadhaar-bank seeding mismatch in NPCI; payment bounces back to MGNREGA fund.
4. Job card cancelled without notice — block-level cancellation; no notice served (procedural void).
5. Work-completion certificate not issued by JE — junior engineer hasn't measured + signed off.
6. Photographs / geo-tags missing — recent guideline mandates GP-level photo upload.
7. State-level fund crunch — central fund release delayed; muster roll done but no money to disburse.
8. Bribe expectation — rare but real. RTI surfaces the file movement.

1. Step 1 — Find your job-card details. Job-card number; work codes; muster-roll dates from the Gram Rojgar Sevak (GRS) or NREGAsoft.
2. Step 2 — Identify the right offices. GP Secretary (work allocation, muster roll). BDO (work order, JE certification, FTO). DPC / DM (fund release, NREGAsoft de-seeding). Bank PIO (account-side issues).
3. Step 3 — Draft parallel RTIs. All three simultaneously — ₹10 each.
4. Step 4 — Send by Speed Post (AD). Universal fallback.
5. Step 5 — Wait 30 days. Then escalate using First Appeal Builder.
6. Step 6 — File §3(3) claim for any wages delayed beyond 15 days. The compensation is calculated on a statutory formula.

To,
The Public Information Officer,
Office of the Block Development Officer (BDO),
[Block name], [District], [State]

Subject: Application under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005 -
       Status of MGNREGA wages, job card no [XXX]

Date: [DD Month YYYY]

Sir / Madam,

1. I, [Your full name], a citizen of India residing at [village + address],
   am filing this application under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005 seeking
   the following records concerning my MGNREGA work and wages:

       Job card number   : [XXX]
       Family head       : [Name]
       Gram Panchayat    : [Name]
       Work codes        : [XXX] (or "all work assigned during FY 2024-25")
       Period            : [Date range]

2. Information sought (please supply certified copies and not opinions):

   (a) The muster-roll entries against my job card for the said period, with
       dates, work codes, days worked, daily wage rate.

   (b) The work-completion certificate issued by the Junior Engineer for each
       work, with date.

   (c) The FTO (Fund Transfer Order) number generated against my entries,
       with date and amount.

   (d) The bank account on file for my job card, and any NPCI seeding /
       de-seeding records.

   (e) Any FTO bounced back from NREGAsoft, with reason code and date.

   (f) The reason for delay if wages are not paid within 15 days of
       work-completion (Section 3(3) of MGNREGA mandates this; compensation
       is due).

   (g) Name + designation of the officer currently holding my file.

   (h) Procedure for re-issue of bounced FTO, and for filing a §3(3)
       compensation claim.

   (i) Name + contact of the FAA for this office.

3. Fee: Rs 10 IPO in favour of "Accounts Officer, [Block / DM Office]".

4. Statutory anchor: I respectfully draw attention to §3 of MGNREGA 2005
   (right to 100 days of wage work) and §3(3) (compensation if wages are
   delayed beyond 15 days from work-completion).

5. Severance + transfer per §10 + §6(3); reply within 30 days per §7(1).

[Signature, name, address, phone, email, date.]
Encl.: Rs 10 IPO + photocopy of job card.

• Filing only to GP — GP doesn't hold FTO records; BDO + DPC do. File parallel RTIs.
• No job-card number — without it, BDO + DPC cannot pull your record.
• Asking GRS for “everything about my work” — too vague. Itemise: muster-roll, FTO, work-completion certificate.
• Forgetting §3(3) compensation — once delay is established, file a separate compensation claim.
• No bank RTI — payment-side issue is on the bank side; without bank RTI, you only see one half.

Yes. RTI to BDO + GP for the muster-roll log + the GRS noting. Use the reply to claim back wages + §3(3) compensation.

RTI confirms the bounce + the bank-side reason (Aadhaar de-seeding most common). Re-seed Aadhaar at the bank, then ask BDO to re-trigger the FTO via state NREGAsoft.

Under §3(3) of MGNREGA, if wages are not paid within 15 days of work-completion, the worker is entitled to compensation at 0.05% per day of the unpaid wage, calculated as a statutory formula. File a separate claim through GP.

Yes. RTI for the cancellation order + the show-cause notice (if any). Without notice, cancellation is void — file §19(1) First Appeal claiming voidness.

Yes. MGNREGA is at home-district level; you must be physically present to do the work. But RTI for your home-district records is your statutory right regardless of where you currently live.

Yes. RTI applications can be sent by Speed Post from anywhere. The PIO at the home-district replies to your contact address.

MGNREGA wage rates vary by state and are revised annually by MoRD. For 2024-25: Bihar ₹220, MP ₹245, Maharashtra ₹309, Kerala ₹333, Punjab ₹348 (highest), MP-Tribal ₹245. Check on nrega.nic.in.

Yes, under §3 of MGNREGA. If your GP doesn't allocate work, file an RTI for the work-allocation register + the GP's plan. Then file a written demand letter to BDO + DPC.

RTI for: (a) the technical sanction, (b) the work-site preparation noting, © the reason for delay. Use the reply at the District Vigilance Committee.

Generally no — MGNREGA is on-site rural infrastructure work. Some states have piloted home-based work for women / disabled; check state circular.

Yes, all are public servants and their offices are public authorities under §2(h). RTI to any of them is valid.

Separate RTI per district — each district BDO + DPC handles its own NREGAsoft instance.

• All sample RTI letters
• Sample RTI for ration card
• Sample RTI for stuck passport
• Employment + labour schemes index
• Government schemes 2026 hub

• MGNREGA — CIC, 2014
• Sandeep Khanna — MGNREGA, 2021
• Full MGNREGA case-law cluster (13 rulings)
• Bhagat Singh v. CIC
• Adesh Kumar v. UoI

• 🪄 AI RTI Drafter
• 🎤 AwaazRTI
• ⚖ First Appeal Builder
• 📅 Timeline Tracker
• 💸 Financial Schemes Finder

• Right to Information Act, 2005 — §6, §7, §10, §19. Full text.
• MGNREGA Act, 2005 — §3, §3(3), §16. IndiaCode.
• MGNREGA Operational Guidelines 2013 (4th edition).
• Constitution of India — Articles 39(a), 41.
• nrega.nic.in — NREGAsoft official portal.
• Bhagat Singh v. CIC (Delhi HC, 2007).

• How to file an RTI application
• How to file a §19(1) First Appeal
• Case-law database
• State RTI rules
• RTI Act, 2005

Last reviewed: 4 May 2026 by RTI Wiki editorial team. Real-life case (Ramesh, Madhubani) used with consent. MGNREGA provisions verified against IndiaCode + nrega.nic.in.