Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], December 13 : Reacting to Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra citing it "unnecessary" over reports of renaming the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as the Pujya Bapu Rural Employment Scheme, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that even when the public is benefited, the Congress leaders speak against it.
Speaking to reporters, CM Devendra Fadnavis said, "Whether you do MNREGA work or not, they say things. Even when the public is benefited, they speak against it. There is no need to give them any weight. PM Modi's government has brought in a very positive change. This will benefit rural development and in generation of employment opportunities in rural areas."
Speaking to ANI, Congress MP Tariq Anwar said, "It is unfortunate that the government is changing its name. It seems that they hate the name Gandhi. This decision will hurt the sentiments of those who believe in Mahatma Gandhi and his ideology."
Earlier, speaking to reporters, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi said she doesn't understand the rationale behind the decision to rename the MGNREGA scheme, which she says brings unnecessary costs.
"I can't understand what mentality is behind this. First, this is Mahatma Gandhi's name, and when it is changed, the government's resources are spent on it again. From offices to stationery, everything needs to be renamed, making this a large, costly process. So what's the benefit of doing this unnecessarily? I can't understand," she said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also criticised the Centre over reports of a likely name change to the MGNREGA scheme, callling it a "distraction" to mislead the public and disrespect the name of the Gandhi family.
Speaking to ANI, Chaturvedi said, "Because of the frustration, such decisions are being made. This is another way to distract attention. The discussion of 150 years of Vande Mataram has helped the public distinguish the WhatsApp version from the real one. That is why those who believe in WhatsApp will be annoyed with the Gandhi family. Those who know the true history will always respect the Gandhi family for their contributions."
MGNREGA is an employment scheme under the Ministry of Rural Development that provides at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer for unskilled work. Any Indian citizen aged 18 or above and residing in a rural area can apply to this scheme. The applicant receives guaranteed employment within 15 days of the application date.
The wage is deposited directly into the applicant's bank/post office account. Wages are paid within a week or, at most, within 15 days. Men and Women are paid equally. MGNREGA covers the entire country, except for districts with 100% urban population.