SRINAGAR: More than nine per cent of wage payments under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in Jammu and Kashmir were delayed beyond the prescribed 15-day period during the financial year 2025-26, according to the Centre. In a written reply to an unstarred question in the Rajya Sabha, the Ministry of Rural Development said that 9.48 per cent of MGNREGA wage payments in Jammu and Kashmir were made after 15 days of the closure of muster rolls. Wage payments are credited directly into beneficiaries’ bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system based on these FTOs. According to the reply, workers are entitled to compensation for delayed payments under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. The state-wise data placed before Parliament showed that Jammu and Kashmir ranked above several larger states in terms of delayed payments, while only 3.75 per cent of wage payments were delayed nationally during the year.