Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said Karnataka’s Gruha Lakshmi scheme which provides Rs 2,000 every month for women heads of families will be replicated across the country.
Rahul Gandhi made the announcement at the launch of the scheme by the Karnataka government in Mysuru.
“Our five schemes in Karnataka are not just schemes, but a governance model. Our thinking is that the government should work for the poor and weak, and no one should be left behind irrespective of religion, caste, or the language they speak. What we did for women in Karnataka, we are going to replicate it across the country. And Karnataka is showing the way for the country,” he said, reported PTI.
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Rahul Gandhi hailed Gruha Lakshmi as the world’s largest cash transfer scheme, the report said.
“Nowhere in the world is the government giving such a large amount to women,” he said as per the report.
“When the Congress announced the scheme, the Union government said that it could not be implemented. But the truth is in front of you. Today, accounts of more than one crore women got Rs 2,000. Women are travelling for free in buses. Families are getting 10 kg rice,” the Wayanad MP said, the report mentioned.
The scheme, one of the five guarantees made by the Congress, was the fourth to be launched and has 1.15 crore beneficiaries.
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“Three schemes, Shakti – free bus travel for women, Anna Bhagya – free 10 kg rice every month per person of BPL families, and Gruha Jyothi – up to 200 units of free power for households each month, were launched earlier. The fifth scheme Yuva Nidhi – which will offer unemployment allowance to youth – is expected to be launched in December or January,” it stated.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that none of the governments has given such guarantees. “(Congress) Leaders from other states are telling me that we should do what Karnataka did. They want to give similar guarantees to the people,” he was quoted in the report as having said.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recalled the apprehensions aired by rival parties after the guarantees were announced ahead of the Assembly polls in May, the report said.
“The BJP and the JD(S) said that we cannot fulfill the guarantees. (Prime Minister) Modi said in Rajasthan that Karnataka would go bankrupt if we implemented the schemes. Today, we have fulfilled four guarantees. By December or January, we will implement Yuva Nidhi also. But the state government has not gone bankrupt. None of the regular schemes were stopped. We implemented the schemes despite allocating funds to all departments and programs,” he said, as per the report.
