The Government of India has recently rechristened their scheme NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) as Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act. It is funny.
The Nation has forgotten Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi long back. Film makers use it occasionally to make some bucks. The Govt. shows the Gandhi's tomb to the visiting Heads of State as an exhibit and filler of time for them. Garlanding Rajghat is an October 2 ritual.
The current trend for the Centre and the Congress ruled States is to name all their projects as Rajiv Gandhi XYZ. This is because the Congress subjects believe that their chanting Rajiv's name will please their boss Ms. Sonia Gandhi.
How did it now suddenly dawn on the Govt. to name NREGA as MGREGA?
The Govt. says that the naming is to strengthen the Gram Swaraj (Village self sufficiency and independence) cherished by Gandhiji. The claim is preposterous. Because, both the State and Central Governments did everything they could to weaken and deprive villages. The realtors and the Governments knocked away the rural lands from the farmers. The Special Economic Zones (SEZs) drove away villagers. The coastal corridors are uprooting villagers and fishermen from their dwellings rendering them homeless. The mining companies, particularly the open cast miners are making villages bit pits and dust dumps. Schools close. Plastics replace village potteries and brass utensil makers. Machine made jewellery makes goldsmiths unemployed destitutes. Tractors replace bulls as farm animals and their trailors carry them to slaughterhouses. Proclines replace construction workers. Indian villages are in a big mess. This tokenism takes India nowhere. Its rank of 134 in the Human Development Index is proof.
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