Removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from MGNREGA is an insult, says Ponguleti

Hyderabad: State Revenue, Housing, Information, and Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said that removing Mahatma Gandhi's name from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme is an insult to him. The Minister described the removal of the name as a "shameful act".

In a statement released on Thursday, Srinivas Reddy criticised the BJP government for undermining and weakening the historic employment guarantee scheme over the past ten years. He noted that the scheme was originally introduced by the then UPA government in 2005 with the specific aim of supporting impoverished families.

The Minister criticised both the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name and the decision to shift 40 per cent of the financial burden onto the states, calling it an attack on the livelihoods of the poor.

He stated that the bill introduced in Parliament represents a step backward in development and imposes an unbearable financial strain on state governments.

Srinivas Reddy further stated that changing the name of the 'Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act' (MGNREGA), which has been the backbone of India's rural economy, to Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB—G RAM G) is unjust. He argued that the new bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, completely alters the nature of the scheme and its funding mechanism.