MGNREGA Renamed as “Pujya Bapu Gramin Rozgar Yojana”, Workdays Increased from 100 to 125

December 13, 2025

New Delhi: The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has been renamed as Pujya Bapu Gramin Rozgar Yojana. The Union Cabinet approved the bill on Friday. The number of working days under this scheme has also been increased from 100 to 125 days, news agency PTI reported, citing sources.

A major rural employment scheme

MGNREGA, also known as MNREGA or NREGA, was launched with the aim of increasing the livelihood security of rural families. Under this scheme, every rural family is provided with at least 100 days of assured wage-based employment in a financial year. The scheme was launched in 2005 and is considered very important for rural India.

Priyanka Gandhi questions name change

Congress MP and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi has questioned the decision to rename MGNREGA. She said she does not understand the thinking behind the decision.

Priyanka Gandhi said, “First of all, this is a scheme named after Mahatma Gandhi. Renaming involves reusing government resources. Everything from offices to stationery has to be changed, which is a costly process. So, why is this being done unnecessarily? is beyond understanding.”

Congress alleges: 32 schemes renamed
The Congress has alleged that the Modi government has already changed the names of 32 Congress-backed schemes. Congress national spokesperson Supriya Shrinate shared a video regarding the renaming of MGNREGA and targeted the government.

नरेंद्र मोदी ने आज Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act MGNREGA का नाम बदल कर पूज्य बापू ग्रामीण रोज़गार स्कीम रखा

इसी मनरेगा को मोदी कांग्रेस की विफलताओं का पुलिंदा बताते थे लेकिन असलियत यह है कि यही मनरेगा ग्रामीण भारत के लिए संजीवनी साबित हुआ

पर कांग्रेस… pic.twitter.com/zhsI0AqiUx

— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) December 12, 2025

Supriya Shrinate’s attack

Supriya Shrinate said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier described MGNREGA as a set of Congress failures, but the reality is that the scheme has proven to be a lifeline for rural India.

She alleged that the Modi government has a long-standing practice of changing the names of Congress government schemes and putting its own brand name on them. Over the last 11 years, several UPA-era schemes have been renamed to give them a new identity.