MNREGA - Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

NREGA renamed after Mahatma Gandhi.

Panchayati Raj in India completed its Golden Jubilee today. 50 years ago on 2nd October, 1959, Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru, the 1st Prime Minister of India laid the foundations of Panchayati Raj at Naguar in Rajasthan. To mark the occasion a National Convention was organized at Vigyan Bhawan.

The occasion was a witness to the two major announcements – the renaming of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) after the Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) and observing the year 2009-10 as the “Year of Gram Sabha” by the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in presence of the UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister,Dr. C.P. Joshi and a large number of Gram Pradhans, Sarpanchs and village representatives from all over the country.

In his key note address, the Prime Minister said that the decision to rename National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) is a humble tribute to the Father of our Nation.

On observing year 2009-10 as the “Year of Gram Sabha”, the Prime Minister said that the Gram Sabha provides a forum for the villagers to discuss, deliberate, accept or reject the proposals of Gram Panchayat. Highlighting the fact that peoples’ participation is a must to implement the Government’s programmes and schemes in a transparent and effective manner, he called upon the Panchayati Raj institutions to take the lead.