The government on Tuesday said it has never discriminated against any state in the release of MGNREGA funds amid a protest by opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha against the alleged delay in payment to some states.

Congress MP from Kerala Adoor Prakash highlighted a decline in the MGNREGA workforce in his state and attributed it to delayed payments and low wages. Minister of State for Rural Development Chandrasekhar Pemmasani refuted the claims of withholding funds, stating that Kerala has already received nearly Rs 3,000 crore this year.