Priyanka Gandhi to oppose Viksit Bharat G RAM G Bill to rename MNEREGA at 12 noon in LS

New Delhi [India], December 16 (ANI): Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday will intervene and oppose the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025, replacing the two-decade-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill (MGNREGA) at 12 noon today in Lok Sabha.
Earlier, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge criticised the Government's move to reframe the MNREGA scheme and said the Congress would oppose this,
"This is not just about renaming the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. This is a BJP-RSS conspiracy to end MGNREGA. Erasing Gandhi's name on the centenary of the Sangh shows how hollow and hypocritical those are who, like Modi ji, offer flowers to Bapu on foreign soil. The government that recoils from the rights of the poor is the one that attacks MGNREGA. The Congress Party will strongly oppose in Parliament and on the streets any such decision of this arrogant regime that is against the poor and workers. We will not allow the rights of crores of poor people, laborers, and workers to be snatched away by those in power," Kharge said.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said, "The BJP, from the very beginning of the Jan Sangh, has harboured hatred towards the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi; they worship Godse... You hate the Gandhis, you hate the Father of the Nation, that's why you're changing the name of the scheme that was launched during the UPA government under Sonia Gandhi's leadership, removing Gandhi's name. This country will democratically and with full force oppose this for its Father of the Nation, and the Congress Party will strongly protest. Today, they are removing Gandhi ji's name; tomorrow, they will name it after Godse."
The Lok Sabha will convene at 11 am today with a full agenda, including questions, laying of papers, committee reports, and legislative business.
The new bill guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household, up from the existing 100 days, for adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work. It seeks to simultaneously provide income security and create durable, productivity-enhancing rural assets through a nationally coordinated development strategy.
Meanwhile, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will move for leave to introduce The Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Bill, 2025 in Lok Sabha, a proposed legislation aimed at further amending major insurance-related laws to strengthen India's insurance framework.
According to the list of business, Sitharaman will seek permission to introduce a Bill proposing amendments to three major insurance sector legislations: the Insurance Act, 1938; the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956; and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999.
Following the motion for leave, the Finance Minister will introduce the Bill in the House.
The Lok Sabha is set for a packed legislative and procedural agenda today, with the House scheduled to take up questions, the laying of official papers, the presentation of multiple Parliamentary Committee reports, ministerial statements on the implementation of committee recommendations, and the introduction and consideration of key Bills.
The House will also take up a motion by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan seeking reference of the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, to a Joint Committee of Parliament.
The proposed Joint Committee will comprise 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha, with a quorum of one-third of its total membership, and is mandated to submit its report by the last day of the first part of the Budget Session 2026.
The 6th Session of the 18th Lok Sabha and the 269th Session of the Rajya Sabha commenced on December 1, marking the beginning of the Winter Session of Parliament. The session will conclude on December 19. (ANI)