Mamata Banerjee Renames Bengal’s Job Scheme After Mahatma Gandhi Amid Centre-State Row

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced that the state government will rename its rural job guarantee programme after Mahatma Gandhi, amid a political confrontation with the Centre over changes to the national employment scheme.

The announcement came hours after the Lok Sabha passed the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, which seeks to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005, a flagship rural employment programme launched two decades ago.

Speaking at a business and industry conclave in Kolkata, Banerjee criticised the Centre’s move to remove Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the national job guarantee scheme. Without naming the BJP directly, she accused some political parties of failing to respect national icons.

“I feel ashamed that they have decided to remove Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the NREGA programme. We are now forgetting even the Father of the Nation,” Banerjee said. She announced that the state’s rural employment programme ‘Karmashree’ would be renamed after Mahatma Gandhi as a mark of respect.

Under the Karmashree scheme, the West Bengal government claims to provide up to 75 days of employment to rural beneficiaries, funded entirely by the state. Banerjee said the programme was being continued despite what she described as the Centre blocking MGNREGA funds for the state.

The Chief Minister also said the state aims to increase employment under the scheme to 100 days in the future, asserting that the government would ensure work opportunities even without central assistance.

“We are running this scheme with our own resources. Even if central funds are stopped, we will ensure people get work. We are not beggars,” Banerjee said.

The Centre’s newly passed VB-G RAM G Bill seeks to overhaul the rural employment framework by replacing the UPA-era MGNREGA, triggering sharp reactions from opposition parties, who have accused the government of diluting welfare guarantees and erasing Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy from public policy.