Opposition Slams Possible MGNREGA Renaming, Calls It Wasteful and an Attack on the Scheme’s Essence

By A Staff Reporter

Opposition leaders on Saturday strongly criticised the Centre over reports of a possible renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), questioning both the intent and the financial prudence behind such a move.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said renaming long-standing government schemes leads to unnecessary expenditure and offers little public benefit. Speaking on the issue, she pointed out that any change in nomenclature triggers a large administrative exercise, involving the renaming of offices, alteration of stationery, and updates across official records. “Whenever something is renamed, government resources are wasted. Offices have to be renamed, stationery has to be changed, and everything has to be updated. It becomes a large exercise involving considerable expenditure,” she said, adding that she failed to see the rationale behind such decisions.

Echoing similar concerns, Rajya Sabha MP and RJD leader Manoj Jha said the proposed renaming undermines the spirit of a programme born out of prolonged social and political struggle. Speaking in Delhi, Jha said MGNREGA was designed to ensure guaranteed employment, better wages and wider implementation across rural India, with demands also extending to urban employment guarantees. “I fail to understand why we should bow before the Prime Minister and his Cabinet,” he remarked.

Jha argued that changing the name of the scheme dilutes its historical and ideological foundation. In a sharp remark, he said the government could rename it anything, even sarcastically suggesting the name “Pujya Bapu Yojana,” but such symbolic changes would not address unemployment or strengthen livelihoods.