Employment guarantee scheme will be known in the name of Mahatma Gandhi in Bengal: Mamata (file photo)
State Bureau, Jagran, Kolkata. Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday strongly criticized the central government's move to change the name of the UPA-era MNREGA employment scheme to Vikas Bharat-ji Ramji. He announced naming the state government's employment guarantee scheme Karmashree after Mahatma Gandhi.
Attacking the BJP and the Modi government without taking names from the stage of the trade and industry conference organized by the state government at Dhandhanya Auditorium in Kolkata, Mamata said that it is extremely shameful for the Center to remove the name of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi from the MNREGA scheme. If they (BJP and Centre) cannot give respect to the Father of the Nation, then we will. Now we will name the Karmashree scheme of our state after Mahatma Gandhi.
This announcement from Mamata's side has come at a time when amidst heavy opposition and uproar from the opposition parties, the Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Developed India Employment Guarantee and Livelihood Mission (Rural) Bill or Jiraamji Bill, which will replace the Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA). This scheme guarantees employment to poor people in rural areas. The opposition is very attacking the Modi government for changing the name of the scheme.
MNREGA funds are closed from December, 2021. Let us tell you that after the closure of MNREGA funds, Mamata government had started the Karmashree scheme in 2024. Due to corruption, the Center has withheld funds from Bengal under the MNREGA scheme since December 2021. The Bengal government has gone from the High Court to the Supreme Court regarding this.
Calcutta High Court had directed the Center to re-implement the MNREGA scheme in Bengal from August 1, 2025. In October, the Supreme Court had also rejected the Centre's petition against the High Court order and directed to implement it from August 1. Despite this it has not been implemented yet.
The Chief Minister claimed that false news and misinformation are being spread in the internet media to defame Bengal.