Union Cabinet likely to approve name change for flagship MGNREGA

The Union Cabinet may approve the proposal to change the name of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (MGNREGA) to “Pujya Bapu Rural Employment Guarantee Bill 2025”, top government sources said on Friday.

The Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is holding a meeting on December 12.

Sources said that the new name signals a fresh identity for the employment guarantee scheme and strengthening of its scope. Furthermore, the Cabinet is also likely to approve the Vikas Bharat Shiksha Adhisthan Bill 2025, which aims to significantly reform the education sector.

MGNREGA has been one of the government’s flagship welfare schemes aimed at providing jobs in rural areas.

It legally guarantees 100 days of wage employment a year to any rural household seeking unskilled manual work, making it a rights-based programme backed by provisions for transparency, social audits and timely wage payments.

It played a crucial role during the COVID-19 pandemic, when demand for work surged and the scheme absorbed a large influx of returning migrant workers. The programme has also been credited with increasing women’s participation in the workforce, offering guaranteed wages close to home and reducing their dependence on informal labour markets.