New Delhi, Dec 16 (NationPress) Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expressed her disapproval of the Central Government's decision to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) on Tuesday, questioning the government's fixation on altering the name of this key rural employment initiative.

In response to the suggestion of renaming MGNREGA to the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Grameen) (VB G RAM G), Priyanka Gandhi pointed out that such a change could incur unnecessary costs and could potentially undermine the legal entitlements designated for rural workers.

Addressing the media outside Parliament, she stated: "I don’t grasp this fixation on renaming. It entails considerable expenses, and it's unclear why this is being pursued without purpose. Additionally, the MGNREGA established a legal right—100 days of employment for the nation's most impoverished. This new Bill could compromise that right."

Moreover, she challenged the government's assertions regarding the enhancement of the scheme.

"While this Bill suggests an increase in the number of employment days, have wages been raised? No, wages have actually been declining over time. Many MGNREGA workers today report that they have not yet received their payments," she remarked.

Priyanka Gandhi also expressed concerns over the shifts in decision-making authority proposed in the new legislation.

"Previously, local gram panchayats determined work sites and employment eligibility under the scheme. However, this new Bill stipulates that the Central government will control who is employed and who receives payments. This effectively strips gram panchayats of their rights," she further added.

The Congress leader's comments arise amidst a wider political discussion regarding the Central Government's initiative to substitute the current MGNREGA framework with a new rural employment law. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor characterized the controversy surrounding the proposed renaming as 'unfortunate' and cautioned against fostering an artificial ideological divide while diminishing the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi.

In response to the government's proposed G-RAM-G Bill, Tharoor noted that the principles being referenced are not at odds. "The debate over renaming MGNREGA in the government’s proposed G-RAM-G Bill is regrettable. The ideals of Gram Swaraj and Ram Rajya were never opposing forces; they were the dual foundations of Gandhiji’s vision," he stated in a post on X.

The Central Government has introduced a Bill aimed at replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme with the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Grameen), abbreviated as VB G RAM G. A party directive has been issued, instructing BJP MPs to attend Parliament to facilitate the Bill’s approval. The government claims that the new legislation offers a revised framework that aligns with the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.

Initially launched by the UPA government in 2005, MGNREGA guarantees 100 days of wage employment for rural households and has been recognized as a transformative initiative over the past twenty years. The proposed Bill aims to extend the employment guarantee from 100 to 125 days. It also introduces provisions that mandate payments within seven to fifteen days following the completion of work, along with an unemployment allowance in case of delayed payments.

The new Bill categorizes work into four areas—water security, rural infrastructure, livelihood infrastructure, and disaster resilience. Work will not be conducted during peak agricultural seasons. To improve transparency, biometric authentication and geotagging have been suggested, alongside multi-tier grievance redressal systems.