G RAM G bill: Bengal to rename job guarantee scheme after Mahatma Gandhi

The development comes amid an ongoing row over the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill (G RAM G Bill 2025).

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the VB-G RAM G Bill, which seeks to replace the United Progressive Alliance–era (UPA) Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) that guarantees employment in rural areas.

“Now Gandhiji’s name is not there. I am really sorry. I am feeling ashamed. A bill has been introduced. Gandhiji’s name will not be there in the NREGA scheme, which was named after him. We are forgetting the name of the Father of the Nation. I cannot blame anybody except me because I belong to this country,” she said.

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The chief minister was addressing a business and industry conclave in Kolkata.

“We launched a scheme called ‘Karmashree’. This scheme will be renamed after Gandhiji. We are providing more than 75-days-job under this scheme. We are not beggars. We only want respect and nothing else. If you don’t give respect to Gandhiji we will give him the due respect. We know how to give Gandhiji respect,” she added.

The opposition, led by the Congress, has claimed that by withdrawing MGNREGA, the National Democratic Alliance-led (NDA) government is insulting Mahatma Gandhi and diluting the provisions of the Act.

Reacting to the announcement, Samik Bhattacharya, BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP said the bill was introduced to respect Mahatma Gandhi.

“The Bill was introduced to respect Mahatma Gandhi because he used to believe that Ram is Bharat and Bharat is Ram. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) thinks that the slogan Jai Shri Ram is a slang. There are some people who want to follow the path of Babur and not Ram. That’s why plans are going on to construct a Babri Masjid in West Bengal,” said Bhattacharya.