West Bengal renames Karmashree to Mahatma-Shree, nods to Gandhi

India Dec 20, 2025

West Bengal has rebranded its Karmashree scheme as Mahatma-Shree, honoring Mahatma Gandhi.
This comes just as the central government is looking to replace MGNREGA with a new bill—something Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticized for leaving Gandhi's name out of the national program.

Wage work promise meets roadblocks for rural workers

The Mahatma-Shree scheme was meant to offer 50 days of paid work to rural folks with MGNREGA Job Cards, but farm unions say it hasn't really taken off.
To make things tougher, MGNREGA funds have been frozen since 2022 over corruption claims—even though courts have ordered their release—leaving many rural workers in limbo.