The Union government wants the states to stick to the names of the central-sponsored schemes, including 15 that start with “Pradhan Mantri” or “Prime Minister”, amid disagreement over the nomenclature of such projects.

Bengal and Tamil Nadu are among the few states that are not comfortable with the names of the central-sponsored schemes. Bengal has even tried to rename them, attracting the ire of the Centre.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on December 2, the minister of state (independent charge) for statistics and programme implementation, Rao Inderjit Singh, had listed the names of schemes starting with “Pradhan Mantri” or “Prime Minister”.

The schemes are Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman, PM Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI), Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan, Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, Prime Minister Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme, Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural and Urban), PM-eBus Sewa Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakaram, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana, PM Young Achievers Scholarship Award Scheme for Vibrant India and PM Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana.

The schemes are implemented by the respective Union ministries or departments and the states jointly. The funding for the schemes is shared by the Centre and the state in a 60:40 ratio in most states, including Bengal, while it is 90:10 for the Northeastern and Himalayan states.

Sandeep Kumar Pathak, a Rajya Sabha member of the AAP, had wanted to know the law that mandated the states not to tweak the names of such schemes and the rules that allowed the Centre to stop releasing funds in case of a modification.

“The modus operandi of each centrally sponsored scheme. including its nomenclature, funding pattern, utilisation etc, depends upon its guidelines which are formulated by the concerned ministries/ departments,” the minister said.

“It is expected that different stakeholders, including states/Union Territories comply with the guidelines formulated by the concerned ministries/departments from time to time,” he added.

The rural development ministry had stopped releasing funds to Bengal under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and the PM Awaas Yojana-Grameen for two years citing irregularities in the selection of beneficiaries and the modification in names of the schemes. The rural development ministry had objected to the signboards on PMGSY roads mentioning Bangla Gram Sadak Yojana.

Former Rajya Sabha member Jawhar Sircar said there was never any tradition of naming almost every scheme as “PM scheme” to indicate that the Prime Minister was giving “personal funds and benefits”.

“Yes, during UPA rule, there were a few schemes meant to honour martyred leaders such as Mahatmaji, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi who had laid down their lives for the country. But naming everything with a living PM as a prefix just by rebranding existing schemes — like Indira Awaas Yojana becoming PM Awaas Yojana — is cheap. Modi appropriates the good scheme of the opponents, hogs name and credit and then pulls down the martyred leaders and abuses the government that drafted the scheme,” Sircar said.