Within 48 hours of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's announcement, a government notification was issued to rename West Bengal's own 100-day work scheme from 'Karmashree' to 'Mahatmashree'.
Reason behind the decision
On Thursday, the Centre changed the name of the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) scheme to VB-G RAM G (Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin)). After being passed in both houses of Parliament, the bill is now awaiting enactment into law.
Mamata Banerjee's opposition to the name change
Strongly opposing the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the rural employment scheme, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced that West Bengal's 'Karmashree' scheme would be named after the Mahatma. On Saturday, after the Governor's consent, that new name was sealed. From the next financial year, its name will be 'Mahatmashree'.
The Panchayat and Rural Development Department issued a notification to this effect on Saturday. Under this scheme, one job card holder could get work for up to 70 days per year till now. From the next financial year, this will be increased to 100 days.
Congress opposes change of name
Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has also targeted the Centre and the BJP over the name change of MGNREGA. In a statement on Saturday, she said, "The Centre has run a bulldozer over MGNREGA." Earlier on Thursday, at a trade conference at the Dhana Dhanyo Auditorium, Bengal CM Banerjee had said, "Mahatma Gandhi's name has been removed from MGNREGA! It's shameful, are we forgetting the Father of the Nation?" After this, from that same platform, she announced that 'Karmashree' would be renamed after the Mahatma.
Targeting the Centre on the same issue, Sonia commented that by weakening MGNREGA, the Modi government has struck at the interests of millions of farmers, workers, and landless people. The Congress leader alleged that for the past 11 years, the central government has ignored the interests of rural poor people.
In Sonia's words, "It is unfortunate that the government has recently run a bulldozer over MGNREGA. Not only has Mahatma Gandhi's name been erased, but MGNREGA's actual form and structure have been arbitrarily changed. The Centre has done this work without any discussion, without consulting the opposition." Twenty years ago, the Congress-led UPA government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had launched this scheme.
