The Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB G RAM G Bill, 2025, presented by the Central Government during the Winter Session of Parliament, has stirred significant political debate. The Bill proposes to completely repeal the existing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and replace it with a new scheme.
Haryana Congress President Rao Narendra Singh has launched a sharp attack on the BJP, holding its “petty and narrow mindset” responsible and raising a pointed question: “Do you now have a problem even with Bapu?”
In a statement, Singh said that the Bill seeks to replace MGNREGA with a new scheme under which the guaranteed employment in rural areas is proposed to be increased from 100 days to 125 days. He explained that the government claims this change will strengthen the rural economy and help achieve the goal of making India a developed nation by 2047.
However, he termed this merely a game of renaming. Rao Narendra Singh said, “Changing names is a way to divert attention from the real issues so that people remain confused. It is unfortunate that now even Mahatma Gandhi’s name troubles you, and you are removing it.”
He also raised serious questions about changes in the funding model of the scheme. Under MGNREGA, the Centre funded 100 per cent of unskilled labour wages while the proposed bill will operate as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), with a fund sharing pattern of 90:10 for North-Eastern and Himalayan States/UT and 60:40 for all other States.
Singh expressed concern over how poorer states such as Bihar or Uttar Pradesh would arrange the additional 30 per cent share. This could weaken the effectiveness of the scheme and make it difficult to guarantee employment to the rural poor.
Additionally, Singh objected to the lack of any increase in wage rates. Currently, the average daily wage under MGNREGA ranges between Rs 200–Rs 300, which he said is inadequate in view of rising inflation.
He recalled that in 2006, the Congress government launched MGNREGA with a guarantee of 100 days of employment, which proved to be a revolution for rural India. He described the removal of Gandhi’s name as an “insult to the Father of the Nation.”
“MGNREGA represents Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of Gram Swaraj. Removing his name is not merely about changing a scheme; it is an attempt to erase a chapter of Indian history,” Rao Narendra Singh said.
He further pointed out that the BJP government has earlier changed the names of several schemes—for example, renaming the Indira Awas Yojana as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana—but removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name reflects a new level of moral degradation.
Singh emphasised that MGNREGA, launched by the Congress, has played a significant role in rural poverty alleviation—employing more than 3 crore families by 2024. While issues such as corruption and delayed payments have existed, he questioned what difference a mere name change would make. However, altering the funding ratio would increase the burden on state governments, ultimately harming the poor.
He said the government’s move appears linked to the politics of the so-called “Amrit Kaal,” where old schemes are being rebranded with new names. The real question, he argued, is whether this change will bring genuine reform or remain superficial.
According to available data, MGNREGA’s budget for 2024–25 stood at Rs 86,000 crore, but the revised funding ratio could place additional pressure on state budgets. If wage rates are not increased, workers’ purchasing power will decline amid inflation, weakening the rural economy, he claimed.