Removal of Mahatma Gandhi name from NREGS will not augur well for nation: Vinod Kumar

BRS leader and former MP B. Vinod Kumar has opposed the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the rural employment guarantee scheme, warning that it undermines the Father of the Nation’s legacy. He recalled his involvement in MGNREGA’s passage under the UPA government and expressed concern for 8.9 crore job card holders, especially women.

Hyderabad: Opposing the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the iconic employment guarantee scheme, BRS leaders and former MP, B. Vinod Kumar said “It will not be good for the nation.” In a statement, he emphasised the importance of the scheme noting that the Father of the nation’s legacy should not be erased from a programme that has brought significant transformation in rural India over the past 20 years.

He criticised the newly passed Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, which replaces the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) of 2005. He emphasised that MGNREGA, enacted in 2005, emerged from struggles for the right to work as a fundamental right and received overwhelming support, including from opposition parties at the time.

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The former MP pointed out two major “mistakes” in the new bill- the renaming and the shift in funding ratio from 90:10 (Centre: State) to 60:40. He warned that poorer states in northern, northeastern, and other underdeveloped regions may struggle to bear 40% of the costs, potentially increasing poverty and reducing access to employment guarantees in those areas.

Pointing out regional disparities in the implementation of the new scheme, he stated that southern states are more developed while others lag behind, and forcing uniform cost-sharing could add to inequalities. He cited examples like Kerala, where central schemes are sometimes resisted or implemented differently, suggesting that the new conditional funding—where states must contribute to unlock central funds—could undermine the programme’s effectiveness.

Recalling his personal involvement in the original MGNREGA discussions and left parties’ role in its passage under the UPA government, Kumar accused the current administration of “negating” the right to work. He expressed concern for the 8.9 crore job card holders, especially women, who rely on the scheme, predicting that it will gradually become “ineffective” and eventually phased out.