MGNREGA in 'G RAM G' avatar: Decoding BJP's renaming of schemes, laws and ministries

Farmers employed under the MGNREGA scheme, at Kusugal village in Dharwad district. (PTI/File Photo)

With the Parliament witnessing intense debates and Opposition repeatedly raising several questions about the new rural employment law that seeks to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the Modi government's constant push to rename schemes, laws, projects and ministries is back in focus. The recent attempt by the Centre has not only irked the Congress party, but has set off a fresh conflagration in the Centre-State relations.

The renaming is part of a broader trend since 2014, during which the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has changed the names of several welfare schemes. The Congress has claimed that at least 32 schemes launched between 1975 and 2013 were renamed after the current government came to power.

A) One, the renaming is generally in Hindi, which is part of the saffron party's larger cultural politics of giving the language a position that is more important than English. In recent times, this push for “decolonisation” — a major ideological project of the Sangh — found its expression in the recent statements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

B) Another striking pattern that has emerged is that is that the names of the Nehru-Gandhi family members have been removed from some schemes. Parallel to this, names of the likes of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who are part of the BJP-Jana Sangh’s political legacy, have been associated with some schemes.

The Congress has alleged that the Modi government is renaming MNREGA to claim credit and the move is “nothing but a cosmetic change to paper over the deliberate neglect being meted out to this scheme”. Targeting the government, Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh said it was “an expert at renaming schemes and laws”.

He added, “They renamed the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, and the rural LPG distribution program to Ujjwala … They are experts in packaging, branding, and naming. Surprisingly, while they hate Pandit Nehru, they also seem to hate Mahatma Gandhi. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has been in effect since 2005… and now you are renaming it to Pujya Bapu Employment Guarantee Scheme. What’s wrong with the name Mahatma Gandhi?”

According to the government release, MGNREGA was designed for 2005, but rural conditions are very different today. Poverty declined from 25.7 per cent (2011-12) to 4.86 per cent (2023-24), supported by higher incomes, consumption and financial access, as seen in MPCE and NABARD RECSS surveys. Better connectivity, digital access and social protection reduced the relevance of an open-ended model. The VB–G RAM G seeks to update the system by raising guaranteed days, refocusing priorities and creating a more targeted and accountable framework, the government release says.

- Swachh Bharat Mission: replaced Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (2012)

- Make in India – replaced National Manufacturing Policy (2011)

- Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana – replaced Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account (2005)

- PAHAL: replaced Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG (2013)

- Mission Indradhanush: replaced Universal Immunisation Programme (1985)

- Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana: replaced Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (2005)

- Digital India: replaced earlier National e-Governance Plan (2006)

- BharatNet – renamed as National Optic Fibre Network (2011)

- Atal Pension Yojana: replaced Swavalamban Scheme (2010)

- Sagarmala – replaced National Maritime Development Programme (2005)

- Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY): replaced Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme

- AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation): replaced Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (2005)

- Skill India: replaced National Skill Development Mission (2010)

- Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Yojana: replaced Jan Aushadhi scheme (2008)

- Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awaas Yojana: replaced Indira Awaas Yojana (1985)

- Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana: replaced Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (2010)

-Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-NULM: replaced National Rural Livelihoods Mission (2010)

- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023: replaces Indian Penal Code (1860)

- Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023: replaces Code of Criminal Procedure (1973)

- Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023: replaces Indian Evidence Act (1872)

- Race Course Road was renamed as Lok Kalyan Marg in 2016

- Aurangzeb Road was renamed Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road in 2015

- Dalhousie Road was renamed Dara Shikoh Road in 2017

-Teen Murti Chowk was renamed Teen Murti Haifa Chowk in 2018