Bengaluru: The Congress in Karnataka on Monday promised Rs 2,000 a month to every woman head of households if the party is voted to power in the State.
The announcement was made at a “Na Nayaki” (I am a leader) convention attended by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who said Rs 24,000 a year would be directly credited to their bank accounts under “Gruha Lakshmi Yojana”, an “unconditional universal basic income.”
The promise comes within days of the Congress making an announcement to provide 200 units of free power every month to each household in the State, where Assembly elections are due by May.
‘Gruha Lakshmi Yojana’ is the attempt of the Congress party to share the “burden of the exorbitant” LPG prices and the “costly daily expenses” that a woman has to bear, the party said.
More than 1.5 crore women would benefit from this scheme, the party said.
“Today, I am announcing the Gruha Lakshmi Scheme. In this scheme, each head of a family who is a woman, will get Rs 2,000 per month. That means Rs 24,000 will go directly into your account in a year. This is part of the bigger scheme of ‘Na Nayaki’, she said at the women-centric convention organised by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the Congress wants every woman of the State to be empowered and capable of standing on their own feet and taking care of their children. The party wants to provide financial independence to each woman of Karnataka, she added.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said a separate manifesto for women would be released in Karnataka.
The Congress leader said the same experiment was done in Uttar Pradesh, which made other political parties come up with promises for women.
“When we made the first manifesto for women in Uttar Pradesh, many people laughed at us and even though nothing came out in terms of votes, we made every political party notice women and respond to their needs,” Vadra claimed.
Even the BJP was forced to put advertisements in newspapers for women (during Uttar Pradesh elections), the Congress leader claimed.
“By a small thing we did, we managed to make political parties aware of the fact that they have to be answerable to women. I urge you to make this election about you and about your future,” she said.
Vadra called upon women to “demand politics that ask for their welfare and issues related to women.”
“Just remember it is in your hands to ask for politics that talks about your issues, your development, the things that matter in your life, that which tells you about progress and development, education and jobs,” she said.
She alleged rampant corruption in BJP-ruled Karnataka.
“I am told that the situation in Karnataka is very shameful. I am told that your ministers are taking 40 per cent commission on jobs,” Vadra said during the women-centric titled ‘Na Nayaki’ (I am a woman leader).
She alleged that Rs 1.5 lakh crore of public money has been looted in Karnataka.
“Think about some development that has to take place in Bengaluru for Rs 8,000 crore and Rs 3,200 crore is going into commission,” Vadra alleged.
Referring to the alleged police sub-inspector recruitment scam, Vadra said, “Nothing moves without paying bribes in Karnataka”.
“There are shameful scams like the PSI scam where the police posts are being sold. You educate your children, the young boys and girls to get them jobs. Is this what you expect from the people in power?” the Congress leader asked.
She alleged that people have to pay bribes for borewells, driving licences, housing, transfers and almost everything related to government work.
