West Bengal will rename its 100-day employment scheme Karmashree as Mahatmashree from the next financial year.
The move follows Parliament’s passage of the VB-G RAM G Bill replacing MGNREGA and removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticised the Centre’s decision and proposed the renaming to honour Gandhi.
WB Renames Karmashree As ‘Mahatmashree’ After Centre Drops Gandhi From MGNREGA
West Bengal has renamed its 100-day employment scheme Karmashree as 'Mahatmashree' after Parliament passed the VB-G RAM G Bill replacing MGNREGA, triggering protests over dropping Mahatma Gandhi’s name
Summary
The West Bengal government has announced that its state-run 100-day employment programme, Karmashree, will be renamed ‘Mahatmashree’ from the next financial year, a move that comes amid a national political row over changes to the rural employment guarantee law.
According to PTI, the decision was formalised through a notification issued on Saturday after Governor C V Ananda Bose granted his assent. A senior state government official confirmed the development.
“The renaming not only preserves the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, but also aligns our state programme with the spirit of public welfare,” the official said.
Reported PTI, the state government said it plans to expand employment opportunities under the Mahatmashree scheme in the coming financial year. The programme is West Bengal’s version of a rural employment guarantee initiative, offering wage employment to households for up to 100 days.
The renaming follows Parliament’s passage of the VB-G RAM G Bill earlier this week. As PTI reported, the legislation seeks to replace the two-decade-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and proposes to guarantee 125 days of rural wage employment annually. The Bill was cleared by the Rajya Sabha through a voice vote late on Thursday night, hours after its passage in the Lok Sabha.
The parliamentary debate was marked by sharp opposition protests. Opposition parties objected to the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the existing scheme and accused the Centre of shifting the financial responsibility for rural employment onto the states, PTI reported.
Trinamool Congress MPs joined demonstrations outside Parliament, while West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticised the Centre’s move. She described it as an attempt to erase the Father of the Nation from a key welfare programme.
In response to the changes at the Centre, Banerjee proposed renaming West Bengal’s corresponding scheme. Karmashree, she said, would be rechristened Mahatmashree to continue honouring Mahatma Gandhi within the framework of the state’s rural employment programme.
The notification will take effect from the next financial year, according to state officials.
(With inputs from PTI)
Published At: