Kolkata, Dec 18 (IANS) Criticising the BJP-led government at the Centre for seeking to replace the 20-year-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) scheme with the VB-G RAM G scheme, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced that her government would rename its rural job guarantee programme after Mahatma Gandhi.

Speaking at a business and industry conclave at an auditorium in Kolkata, Chief Minister Banerjee, without naming the BJP, said that if “some political parties failed to show respect to our national icons”, her government would step in to do so.

“I feel ashamed that they have decided to remove Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the NREGA programme because I too belong to this country. We are now forgetting even the Father of the Nation. If they can’t give respect to the Father of the Nation, we will. We will now rename the Karmashree scheme of our state after Mahatma Gandhi,” Banerjee said while addressing a packed Dhano Dhanyo auditorium.

The Chief Minister’s announcement came after the Lok Sabha passed the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, which seeks to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005.

Under the ‘Karmashree’ scheme, the West Bengal government claims to provide up to 75 days of work to beneficiaries.

Banerjee said the state aims to increase the number of workdays under the ‘Karmashree’ scheme to 100 in the future.

“We have already created a large number of workdays under ‘Karmashree’, which we are running with our own resources. Even if central funds are stopped, we will ensure people get work. We are not beggars,” she said.

The Chief Minister also slammed the Centre for stopping funds to West Bengal under the MGNREGA scheme for the last few years, which she said had caused great inconvenience to people in the state, especially those at the grassroots level.

–IANS

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