Minister for Social Welfare and Social Education, Tinku Roy, on Friday strongly criticized the opposition for allegedly spreading misinformation regarding the renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). He accused opposition parties of misleading the public through daily protests across the state and diverting attention from substantive issues such as employment generation and wage enhancement.
Addressing a press conference at the Pradesh BJP headquarters in Krishnanagar, Agartala, Roy clarified that India’s rural employment initiatives have a long evolutionary history that predates MGNREGA. He referred to earlier programs such as Relief Work, Food for Work, and the National Rural Employment Programme (NREP), which eventually led to the enactment of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in 2005.
“Four years later, in 2009, Mahatma Gandhi’s name was added to the scheme, making it MGNREGA. Now, nearly two decades later, the programme has been restructured and renamed as the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), commonly known as the VB-G Ram Ji Project,” the minister explained.
Roy described the revamped framework as a major reform in rural employment policy. He pointed out that the number of guaranteed employment days has been increased from 100 to 125, while loopholes in the earlier system have been addressed to improve transparency, planning, and accountability. According to him, the new structure aims to create durable rural assets, boost household incomes, and strengthen resilience against economic and natural challenges.
Highlighting financial commitment, Roy compared expenditures, stating that the UPA government spent Rs 2.13 lakh crore on MGNREGA, whereas the NDA government allocated nearly Rs 7.8 lakh crore between 2015 and 2025. “These figures reflect the NDA’s strong and consistent commitment to rural development,” he said.
He accused the opposition of focusing solely on the name change while ignoring tangible improvements. Urging citizens not to fall for rumors, Roy reaffirmed the government’s commitment to safeguarding rural livelihoods and delivering meaningful benefits through reforms.
