Cabinet likely to approve MGNREGA renaming, new nuclear framework, higher education bill

Government sources told Business Today that the Union Cabinet is likely to approve three major proposals today, spanning rural employment, atomic energy, and higher-education reforms.

The Cabinet is expected to clear the renaming of MNREGA as Pujya Bapu Gramin Rojgar Yojna, reaffirming its role as a crucial social and legal measure that guarantees the right to work. The scheme, originally titled the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), ensures at least 100 days of wage employment annually to households willing to undertake unskilled manual labour.

Sources added that the government may also approve the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, aimed at strengthening India’s nuclear energy ecosystem and enabling greater technological and institutional advancement in the sector.

In a significant reform push, the Cabinet is likely to clear the Higher Education Commission of India Bill 2025, intended to establish a single regulatory authority for higher education. The Bill proposes the merger of three statutory bodies — the University Grants Commission (UGC), the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). 

This is the second attempt to draft such legislation and is seen as a major step toward simplifying governance and improving quality standards across India’s higher-education landscape.