West Bengal Renames Its Job Scheme 'Karmashree' As 'Mahatmashree'

Kolkata: The West Bengal government on Saturday stated that its 100-day employment scheme, 'Karmashree', will be renamed as 'Mahatmashree' from the next financial year.

The notification was issued after Governor CV Ananda Bose gave his assent, a senior state government official said. "The renaming not only preserves the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, but also aligns our state programme with the spirit of public welfare," a senior state official said.

The announcement for renaming 'Karmashree' after Mahatma Gandhi was made by the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on December 18 during her address at the inaugural session of the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS)-2025 here.

"I feel ashamed that the Union government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) decided to remove Mahatma Gandhi's name from the NREGA programme because I, too, belong to this country. We are now forgetting even the Father of the Nation. If they (BJP) can't give respect to the Father of the Nation, we (Trinamool Congress) will. We will now rename the 'Karmashree' scheme of our state after Mahatma Gandhi," the Chief Minister Banerjee had said.

The West Bengal government claims to provide up to 75 days of work to beneficiaries under the job scheme.The Chief Minister had already claimed that the West Bengal government aims to increase the number of workdays under the scheme to 100 in the future. "We have already created a large number of workdays under 'Karmashree', which we are running with our own resources. Even if Central funds are stopped, we will ensure people get work. We are not beggars," Banerjee had claimed.

Also Read

Mamata Banerjee Issues Whip Over Messi Event Fiasco; Vows Zero-Tolerance For VIP Culture