If the Narendra Modi government is good at anything, it is at renaming existing schemes and presenting them as bold new initiatives. The latest example is its proposal to rechristen the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Grameen) Bill, 2025—VB-G RAM-G for short. In one stroke, Mahatma Gandhi is replaced by RAM, with a reverential “G” added for good measure. In today’s political climate, who will dare question such a rechristening? This is not an isolated case. The Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan became the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan; the rural LPG distribution scheme was reborn as Ujjwala. Rebranding has become a hallmark of........

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