The UPA’s flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MGNREGA) appears to be losing its sheen, as the Centre could release about `29,190 crores against the budgetary allocation of `40,000 crores during the just-concluded financial year, showing a dip of more than 25 per cent. Even in the job demands under the flagship scheme, the data suggest more than 20 per cent decline.