"Under pretext of renaming, scheme may be scrapped": Priyanka Gandhi on changes to MGNREGA

New Delhi [India], December 16 : Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday strongly criticised the Centre over proposed changes to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), accusing the government of attempting to scrap the scheme under the guise of renaming and restructuring it.
Speaking during the protest against the proposed renaming of MGNREGA, Priyanka Gandhi said the government appeared to be "obsessed" with changing names, a move that she claimed leads to unnecessary expenditure. She stressed that the employment scheme carries the name of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, and said removing or altering it amounts to disrespect.
"This scheme is named after Mahatma Gandhi. He is the Father of the Nation and his name should not be insulted," she said.
Priyanka Gandhi also pointed out that MGNREGA was enacted with unanimous political consensus. "When this law was passed, there was not a single national party that opposed it. It was made with everyone's consent," she added.
Questioning the government's claims of expanding employment from 100 to 125 days, she said that the proposal was misleading. "On the surface, it appears they are increasing workdays, but if you read it carefully, the scheme itself could come to an end," she said.
She further criticised the proposed change in the funding pattern, stating that earlier, 90 per cent of the financial responsibility rested with the Centre. "Now the Centre wants the work to continue but is shifting the burden onto states. Poor states will not be able to afford this, and eventually the scheme will collapse," Gandhi said.
"The truth is that in the garb of changing the name of the scheme, they (Central govt) want to scrap this scheme. Why do they want to change the name of this scheme? Mahatma Gandhi is the father of the nation," Gandhi added.
Meanwhile, several opposition MPs staged a demonstration outside Parliament's Makar Dwar and later gathered at the Mahatma Gandhi statue within Parliament premises.
Holding photographs of Mahatma Gandhi, the MPs accused the Centre of attempting to dismantle the rural employment scheme under the guise of renaming it.
Senior leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were present during the protest.

Earlier today in the Lok Sabha, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan sought permission to introduce the Viksit Bharat Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025, also known as the G Ram G Bill. This Bill aims to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
The new bill guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household, up from the existing 100 days, for adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work. It seeks to simultaneously provide income security and create durable, productivity-enhancing rural assets through a nationally coordinated development strategy.