India proposes revamp of rural job scheme, dropping Gandhi’s name

NEW DELHI: India has presented legislation to expand a 20-year-old rural employment scheme by boosting the number of guaranteed workdays but opposition leaders challenged plans to remove independence hero Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the programme.

The bill would guarantee 125 days of employment a year instead of the current 100 days per household for unskilled manual labour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government said in its parliamentary listing of the measure. It had earmarked 860 billion rupees ($9.5 billion) for the scheme for the current fiscal year that ends on March 31, 2026.

The government’s notification to parliament said the change was to align the scheme with its goal of having India become a developed economy by 2047, the centenary of independence from Britain.

The bill focuses on creating employment through infrastructural development related to water supply and rural roads as well as measures to mitigate the impact of extreme weather, a government source said.

The government has also changed the way the scheme is funded from open-ended outlays based on demand for related jobs to expenditures geared to budget projections for the financial year, according to the source.

The bill also proposes changing the name of the programme from Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA) to Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission - Rural (Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission - Rural). “Why is Mahatma Gandhi’s name being removed? Mahatma Gandhi is considered the most revered leader not just in the country but in the world, so removing his name - I really don’t understand what is the objective? What is their intention?” opposition Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said.