New Delhi: The Central Government came under sharp scrutiny on Monday for introducing a Bill that proposes to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and replace it with a new rural employment framework. Opposition MPs raised concerns over why the name of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation, has been removed from the scheme.

The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025 appeared in the Lok Sabha’s supplementary list of business on Monday. The Bill seeks to repeal the MGNREGA of 2005 and establish a “rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047”, guaranteeing 125 days of wage employment per year to rural households whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work.

Congress MP Saptagiri Ulaka, chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, said the panel had made multiple recommendations, including increasing the number of workdays and wages under MGNREGS.

"When they (BJP) came to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called it a scheme for digging pits... It was always their intention to end MGNREGS," Ulaka said.

"I don't know what problem they have with the name of Bapu, but they wanted to finish it because it was a Congress scheme. I head the Parliamentary panel, and we made so many recommendations -- to increase the number of days to 150, to increase the wages... the states have pending dues, West Bengal is not getting funds. They have brought a Bill, but why have they removed the name of Mahatma Gandhi?" he questioned.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi questioned the purpose of the move, saying, "Whenever the name of a scheme is changed, there are so many changes that have to be made in offices, stationery... for which money is spent. So, what is the benefit? Why is it being done?"

She added, "Why is Mahatma Gandhi's name being removed. Mahatma Gandhi is considered the tallest leader not just in the country but in the world; so, removing his name, I really don't understand what the objective is. What is their intention?"

She further criticised the debate in Parliament, saying it wasted time and resources while ignoring the real issues of the people.

Senior Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien called the move “an insult to Mahatma Gandhi”, adding, "But then, are you surprised! These are the same people who hero-worshipped the man who killed Mahatma Gandhi. They want to insult Mahatma Gandhi and remove him from history."

CPM general secretary MA Baby criticised the revamp as an attempt to conceal the dismantling of the scheme.

"The Union Government's grandstanding over a total revamp of the MGNREGS is an attempt to hide the startling fact that the basic rights-based framework under which it operated is being dismantled, and the central share brought down drastically," he said.

"The buck is being passed on to states, and the Centre can now punish opposition-ruled states by cutting down allocations. It will also codify into law the technological interventions through which lakhs of people are being deprived of their entitlements," Baby added.

He described the move as “reckless” and “condemnable”, asserting that it would worsen rural distress, and pledged that the Left would oppose it both inside and outside Parliament.

MGNREGA, enacted in 2005 and renamed in 2009, currently provides up to 100 days of wage employment for unskilled labourers. The new Bill proposes 125 days of work and a rural development framework aligned with the ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ vision. It will be centrally sponsored, requiring states to prepare schemes within six months of implementation. The Centre will allocate funds based on certain parameters, with excess expenditure borne by state governments.

Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in the Bill’s statement of purpose, "MGNREGA has provided guaranteed wage-employment to rural households over the past 20 years. Further strengthening has become necessary in view of the significant socio-economic transformation witnessed in the rural landscape driven by widespread coverage of social security interventions and saturation-oriented implementation of major government schemes."

PTI