Mamata Banerjee Criticizes BJP's Name Change of MGNREGA, Announces New Initiative

Mamata Banerjee's Response to BJP's Name Change

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has taken aim at the central government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for renaming the 20-year-old MGNREGA scheme to 'Vikasit Bharat-G Ram Yojana.' Speaking at a business and industry conference, she declared that her government would honor Mahatma Gandhi by naming their rural employment guarantee program after him.

Banerjee emphasized that if certain political parties fail to respect national heroes, her administration would take the initiative to do so.

Legislative Developments and Banerjee's Concerns

Although she did not directly mention the BJP, her comments came shortly after the Lok Sabha passed the 'Vikasit Bharat-G Ram Bill, 2025,' which will replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

During her address at the Dhando Dhanaya auditorium, Banerjee expressed her embarrassment over the decision to remove Mahatma Gandhi's name from the MGNREGA scheme, stating, 'I feel ashamed that they have decided to erase the name of Mahatma Gandhi from the scheme, as I am also a part of this country. Now we are forgetting even the Father of the Nation.'

Introducing the 'Karmashree' Scheme

She announced that the state would rename its 'Karmashree' scheme in honor of Mahatma Gandhi. Under this initiative, the state government claims to provide beneficiaries with work for up to 75 days, while Banerjee accused the central government of withholding funds for MGNREGA.

The Chief Minister stated that the state's goal is to increase the number of workdays under the 'Karmashree' scheme to 100 in the future. She added, 'We have already created several workdays with our own resources under 'Karmashree.' Even if the central funding is halted, we will ensure that people receive work. We are not beggars.'