“Four of the five guarantee schemes of the Congress party in Karnataka are focussed on women and it is for a reason. A tree cannot grow taller without strong roots. A building cannot stand firm without a strong foundation. Likewise, no society can grow stronger without the support of its women folk,” said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who inaugurated the 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme (Rs 2,000 monthly allowance to woman head of the family) along with AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge in Mysuru on Wednesday.
The Congress government led by Siddaramaiah symbolically rolled out 'Gruha Lakshmi' - it's fourth guarantee scheme (after Shakti - free bus travel for women, Gruha Jyoti - free power, and Anna Bhagya - free rice) across five districts—Mysuru, Mandya, Chamrajnagar, Hassan and Kodagu. Of the 1.21 crore eligible beneficiaries for the cash dole-out, 1.10 crore have registered so far.
Gandhi, who simultaneously transferred Rs 2,000 to the bank accounts of one lakh beneficiaries through direct benefit transfer (DBT) at one go by pressing a button on the tablet, expressed happiness over the Congress government fulfilling at least four promises made to the people of Karnataka within 100 days of forming the government.
"This scheme was not conceived by the Congress thinktank or the capitalists. It was designed by you(people). You showed us the path," said Gandhi, adding that the guarantee schemes were a result of the feedback he got from the common men during his Bharat Jodo Yatra.
"I walked almost 600 km in Karnataka and during my interactions with the women, I realised the price rise and the soaring cost of petrol, diesel and LPG were hitting the households and the women hard. The Gruha Lakshmi scheme is being implemented on the occasion of Rakshabandhan as a fulfillment of our promise made to the women of Karnataka," said Gandhi.
Further, Gandhi asserted that the five guarantee schemes were not merely schemes but a "governance model" of the Congress party in Karnataka, which needed to be replicated across the state.
"It is a fashion today for the government in Delhi (Centre) to work for capitalists. They have 2-3 friends and all the development is happening only for them. But the Congress party believes in working for the development of the poor and the weak. No one should be left behind and taken along the path of development irrespective of the caste, religion or language. Our opponents, including the prime minister had said the five guarantees cannot be implemented. But today, Gruha Lakshmi is the biggest cash transfer scheme in the country," asserted Gandhi.
Kharge said the Congress leaders in different parts of the country were keen to replicate the 'Karnataka model'.
He took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for criticising the guarantee schemes as "bogus and as detrimental to the economy.
"Modi and Shah had claimed the schemes were freebies which would burden the economy. They said it was impossible to deliver them. Today, I hope the PM is watching it or gets information from his Intelligence about the scheme successfully being implemented. He has a tendency not to acknowledge the contribution made by others. The BJP is always targeting the Congress and asking us what the Congress has contributed in the last 50 years. Let me tell you, the literacy rate which was 18% in 1947 was increased to 74% by 2014, female literacy rose from 7% to 65%, average lifespan increased from 32 years to 71 years due to better healthcare and nutrition. We increased the number of primary schools from 2 lakh to 8 lakh. It was the Congress government that brought in NREGA and Food Security Act. Rajiv Gandhi gave voting rights to 18 year olds and the idea of adult franchise came from Congress. Nehru was responsible for unification of princely states, Nehru and Ambedkar gave the Constitution of India, which is the reason some people are occupying high posts. People, like the Congress party, must help save the Constitution," said Kharge.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the five guarantees would cost the exchequer Rs 56,000 crore every year and his government had managed to implement four schemes despite the Centre refusing to help procure rice for Anna Bhagya scheme. "We have implemented four schemes as promised. The Yuva Nidhi (unemployment benefit of Rs 3000 for fresh graduates and Rs 1500 for diploma holders) would be launched in December or in January 2024. In contrary to the claims made by our political rivals and critics, our government has successfully implemented the guarantee schemes without stopping any of the regular programmes. Karnataka has not gone bankrupt as they had predicted," said Siddaramaiah.
Women and child welfare minister Laxmi Hebbalkar expressed happiness that the Congress government had implemented the scheme as promised to the women during the polls.
