New Delhi: The Opposition on Tuesday created a ruckus in the Lok Sabha over the reported move to change the name of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), alleging that the government was undermining one of the country’s most important social security schemes.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra strongly objected to the proposed name change, warning that it posed a serious threat to the employment guarantee programme that supports millions of rural households. She said MGNREGA was not just a scheme but a lifeline for the poor and unemployed in rural India.
Raising the issue during the proceedings, Opposition members accused the government of attempting to dilute the intent of the Act by removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name and weakening its legal guarantee of employment. They demanded a clear assurance from the government that the scheme would not be altered in any manner that affects beneficiaries.
Priyanka Gandhi said that MGNREGA has played a crucial role in providing income security, especially during times of economic distress, and any move that weakens the Act would directly harm the poorest sections of society. She also questioned the government’s priorities, alleging that funds for the scheme have already been reduced.
Amid loud protests and slogan-shouting by Opposition MPs, the Speaker urged members to maintain order. However, the disruptions continued, forcing brief adjournments of the House.
The government, responding to the uproar, said there was no proposal to scrap the employment guarantee scheme and that it remained committed to rural welfare. Treasury bench members accused the Opposition of spreading misinformation and politicising the issue.
MGNREGA, enacted in 2005, guarantees 100 days of wage employment to rural households and is considered one of India’s largest social welfare programmes. The debate over its name and future has once again brought rural employment and social security into sharp political focus.
