The historic Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) became a reality on September 5, 2005, during the first tenure of Dr. Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister. Also read | VB-G RAM G replaces MGNREGA: Cutting off a rural lifeline and the Directive PrinciplesA demolition in stagesRight from its conception, MGNREGA was envisioned as more than a mere scheme — as guaranteed employment based on actual demand from rural families in distress. MGNREGA enacted the right to work in all rural India. Indeed, the real nature of the Modi government’s intentions can be understood from its decade-long track record of throttling MGNREGA. MGNREGA realised the Mahatma’s vision of Sarvodaya (‘welfare of all’) and enacted the constitutional right to work.

Source: The Hindu December 22, 2025 05:14 UTC