Rs 2k for every woman family heads if elected in Karnataka: Congress

BENGALURU: The Congress party on Monday promised Rs 2,000 per month as financial aid to woman heads and unemployed housewives of every household if the party is voted to power in Karnataka in the Assembly polls due in April/May this year. Last week the party had announced 200 units of free electricity to all households in the state if voted to power in the state.

AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra unveiled the Gruhalakshmi Yojana scheme at the party’s ‘Naa Nayaki’ (I am a leader) rally in Bengaluru on Monday.

The party said the scheme will benefit over 1.5 crore women and the amount will directly be credited to the accounts of the woman heads of families.

Priyanka, who came down heavily on the Central government over price rise and unemployment, said the Gruhalakshmi scheme will help women run their households by overcoming the burden of price rise and increase in LPG prices.

Priyanka slams govt over commission row

Coming to Karnataka weeks after her party’s victory in Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls, Priyanka asked women to vote Congress to power for their better future. “I will not criticise BJP, but have a question for women folks. Has your life changed in the past 7-8 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule, and have your children got jobs?” she asked the audience, who said “no” in unison.
She said that under Modi’s rule, which is in favour of the capitalists, the rich have become richer while the poor have turned poorer.

She raised the issues of divestment of PSUs, farmers’ suicide, Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) pushed into distress and adverse impact of the Goods & Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation. She highlighted the schemes of the Congress party when it was in power, including the land reforms, the Rs 8,000 crore loan waiver to farmers, ‘Annabhagya’, Indira Canteens, Ksheera Bhagya, and the Matrupoorna schemes which the previous Siddaramaiah-led government had implemented.

Priyanka attacked the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government, saying that it required bribes for every work in the government to get done from Driving License to drilling borewells. “Even the posts of the Police Sub Inspectors were being sold out. Is it to face this fate that you educated your children in anticipation of jobs?” she asked.

Raising the issue of 40 per cent commission allegations made by the contractors association, Priyanka alleged that Rs 1.5 lakh crore has been pocketed by the ministers and the MLAs in the Bommai government. In Bengaluru, out of Rs 8,000 crore worth of works implemented, Rs 3,200 crore, 40 per cent, goes into commissions, she alleged. “Life has become expensive and unaffordable for the people. Yet they have not been questioning the government as it should have been accountable. Hence it has been diverting their attention to issues such as review of textbooks by removing the works of the greats,” she said.

She observed that the people of Karnataka, especially the working class including the garment workers, were in distress through the Covid-19 pandemic as the ruling dispensation failed to address their problems. “When we released a separate manifesto for women in Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, some mocked us. Though we did not garner votes, the political parties started recognising the needs of the women,” she added.

BENGALURU: The Congress party on Monday promised Rs 2,000 per month as financial aid to woman heads and unemployed housewives of every household if the party is voted to power in Karnataka in the Assembly polls due in April/May this year. Last week the party had announced 200 units of free electricity to all households in the state if voted to power in the state. AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra unveiled the Gruhalakshmi Yojana scheme at the party’s ‘Naa Nayaki’ (I am a leader) rally in Bengaluru on Monday. The party said the scheme will benefit over 1.5 crore women and the amount will directly be credited to the accounts of the woman heads of families. Priyanka, who came down heavily on the Central government over price rise and unemployment, said the Gruhalakshmi scheme will help women run their households by overcoming the burden of price rise and increase in LPG prices. Priyanka slams govt over commission row Coming to Karnataka weeks after her party’s victory in Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls, Priyanka asked women to vote Congress to power for their better future. “I will not criticise BJP, but have a question for women folks. Has your life changed in the past 7-8 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule, and have your children got jobs?” she asked the audience, who said “no” in unison. She said that under Modi’s rule, which is in favour of the capitalists, the rich have become richer while the poor have turned poorer. She raised the issues of divestment of PSUs, farmers’ suicide, Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) pushed into distress and adverse impact of the Goods & Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation. She highlighted the schemes of the Congress party when it was in power, including the land reforms, the Rs 8,000 crore loan waiver to farmers, ‘Annabhagya’, Indira Canteens, Ksheera Bhagya, and the Matrupoorna schemes which the previous Siddaramaiah-led government had implemented. Priyanka attacked the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government, saying that it required bribes for every work in the government to get done from Driving License to drilling borewells. “Even the posts of the Police Sub Inspectors were being sold out. Is it to face this fate that you educated your children in anticipation of jobs?” she asked. Raising the issue of 40 per cent commission allegations made by the contractors association, Priyanka alleged that Rs 1.5 lakh crore has been pocketed by the ministers and the MLAs in the Bommai government. In Bengaluru, out of Rs 8,000 crore worth of works implemented, Rs 3,200 crore, 40 per cent, goes into commissions, she alleged. “Life has become expensive and unaffordable for the people. Yet they have not been questioning the government as it should have been accountable. Hence it has been diverting their attention to issues such as review of textbooks by removing the works of the greats,” she said. She observed that the people of Karnataka, especially the working class including the garment workers, were in distress through the Covid-19 pandemic as the ruling dispensation failed to address their problems. “When we released a separate manifesto for women in Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, some mocked us. Though we did not garner votes, the political parties started recognising the needs of the women,” she added.