New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday saw a strong and heated debate after the central government introduced a bill to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with a new law called the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin (VB–G RAM-G) Bill, 2025.
Opposition parties strongly opposed the move. They said the new law attacks the very soul of rural job security and also weakens the role of states. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi said the government is playing politics by changing names and wasting the hard-earned money of people. She said every time a scheme’s name is changed, huge public money is spent.
This raised an important question: Does changing the name of a scheme really cost so much money? If yes, where does this money go?
To understand this, we must see how big MGNREGA is. It is the world’s largest social security scheme. It works in every village of India, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. About 25 crore workers are registered under it, and 14.33 crore are currently active. The scheme covers 2.69 lakh gram panchayats, over 7,000 blocks, and more than 700 districts. Any small change affects the entire country.
Experts say money will mainly be spent in five areas:
Job Cards (Biggest cost)
Every worker has a job card with MGNREGA’s name and Gandhi’s logo. If new cards are issued, even at Rs 15 per card, printing and distribution for 25 crore cards can cost around Rs 375 crore. Even using stickers will cost crores.
Citizen Information Boards
Every village and worksite has boards painted with “Mahatma Gandhi NREGA.” Repainting walls in lakhs of villages can cost nearly ₹200 crore.
Stationery and Official Seals
Registers, rubber stamps, letterheads, muster rolls, and forms will have to be changed in thousands of offices. Old stationery will be thrown away. This may cost Rs 50–100 crore.
Digital Infrastructure
MGNREGA is fully digital. Websites, apps, databases, and payment slips will need updates. IT staff and engineers will be paid for this work.
Publicity and Advertising
The government will advertise the new name through TV, newspapers, radio, and hoardings. Past examples show branding costs can be very high. At least Rs 200 crore extra may be spent in the first year.
Earlier name changes, like NREGA to MGNREGA (2009) and Nirmal Bharat to Swachh Bharat (2014), also led to large expenses, raising similar concerns.
