Amid war of words between Congress and BJP over the former's guarantee schemes, a reality check on their effective implementation in Congress ruled Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh.
Published Nov 02, 2024 | 6:00 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 02, 2024 | 6:00 PM
Congress CMs of Himachal Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka (In order)
The guarantee schemes being implemented by Congress state governments have been a hot topic after what began as a war of words between Mallikarjun Kharge and PM Modi.
Congress vs BJP over guarantee schemes began a day after the Congress chief warned Karnataka Dy CM DK Shivakumar over his statement on the Shakti scheme.
As if on cue, a day after Kharge said Shivakumar’s statement would give a chance for the BJP to criticise them, the BJP did just that with PM Modi taking to X to hammer Congress.
Against this backdrop, are the schemes promised by the grand old party ruled Karnataka Telangana and Himachal Pradesh being delivered to citizens in these states? South First spoke to common people to understand the ground reality.
Selvi works as a housekeeper in Bengaluru’s Richmond Town. She lives a few kilometres away and travels by bus to work. Earlier, she used to complain that the promised guarantees were not being fulfilled but today she is all smiles. What changed?
Selvi does not have to pay for bus ticket to commute as she is entitled to travel free under Karnataka government’s Shakti scheme. One of the breadwinners for a family of four, Anna Bhagya scheme – which provides ₹34 per kg for five kgs of rice in total – saves her day.
With her monthly salary from working in three apartments at ₹12,000 and her husband’s work hardly providing any financial contribution to household needs, the scheme helps her feed the family of four.
Additionally, the Gruha Lakshmi scheme provides ₹2,000 per month as bonus for the head woman of a family while residents of Karnataka get to enjoy free electricity upto 200 units under the Gruha Jyothi scheme.
Talking about how the schemes help her family financially, she told South First, “At times, we end up having to pay ₹40 or 50 if we consume more than 200 units.”
Vice-chairperson of the Karnataka Guarantee Implementation Committee, Mehroz Khan spoke to South First about the effective implementation of guarantee schemes.
“The Opposition BJP is more than welcome to do their own reality check in the state. 98% of all schemes are being implemented roughly. Of course, there are issues in 2-3 percent cases due to documentation and server issues,” he said, asserting that people are largely benefitting from the schemes without difficulties.
Mehroz says he has travelled to 12 districts and interacted with more than 1,000 women regarding the schemes’ efficiency. “The Shakti scheme is helping small businesses. Additionally, our GST collection is second highest in the country and our GSDP growth has surpassed the national average,” he added.
In a post in X on 1 November, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah stated that “All 5 guarantees are being implemented with a budget of over Rs. 52,000 crore, and an additional Rs. 52,903 crore is capital outlay to build Karnataka’s future.”
He was responding to PM Narendra Modi’s criticism on the Congress government.
Mr. @narendramodi, before pointing fingers at Congress, take a hard look at @BJP4Karnataka’s disastrous legacy in Karnataka! We are fulfilling every promise we made to our people – all 5 guarantees implemented with a budget over ₹52,000 crore, and an additional ₹52,903 crore in… https://t.co/3jWZFLezVZ
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) November 1, 2024
In its election manifesto, Congress had promised six schemes to “help realise the dream of Bangaru Telangana.These six guarantees are named Mahalakshmi, Rythu Bharosa, Gruha Jyothi, Indiramma Indlu, Yuva Vikasam and Cheyutha.
Mahalakshmi Scheme
Designed to provide financial assistance to women, the scheme is facing setbacks. While the government has successfully implemented the provision of LPG cylinders at the cost of ₹500, the promise to provide a monthly financial aid of ₹2,500 to women has not yet materialised.
Meanwhile, the scheme that offers free travel for women on TSRTC buses is in effect.
Rythu Bharosa
The scheme aimed at supporting farmers has also encountered challenges. The proposed financial assistance ₹15,000 per acre for farmers and tenant farmers remains unfulfilled.
Agricultural laborers too have not yet received the promised ₹12,000 per year and a promise to provide bonus of ₹500 for paddy per quintal is currently limited to just the superfine varieties.
Gruha Jyothi
Gruha Jyothi, a scheme that guarantees 200 units of free electricity for all households, is the one being successfully implemented without any hurdles.
Indiramma Illu
One of the schemes announced before Assembly elections, the guarantee to provide housing for homeless families is still in the pipeline.
While plans to provide financial assistance of ₹5 lakh for construction is formulated, allocation of 250 square yard house sites to Telangana movement fighters has not yet been initiated.
Yuva Vikasam
Yet another that is lagging is the Yuva Vikasam scheme, focused on education. The Vidya Bharosa Card, which would offer financial assistance of up to ₹5 lakh for students’ educational expenses, is yet to be distributed.
Moreover, plans to establish Telangana International Schools in each mandal have not yet come to fruition.
Cheyutha
Finally, the Cheyutha initiative, which aims to provide a social security pension of ₹4,000 to economically underprivileged people, has not been implemented.
However, the Rajiv Aarogyasri initiative – a health insurance program providing coverage of ₹10 lakh to vulnerable sections of the population, is operational.
Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the CM of Himachal Pradesh took to X to debunk PM Narendra Modi’s claims on Friday, 2 November.
He wrote, “We are proud to have already delivered on five out of the ten guarantees made during the 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections.”
He shared details on what has been achieved so far including the English-medium education for students from Class I, being the first state to implement MSP for milk, etc.
Here’s what we’ve achieved:
Reinstated the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for state employees.
Secured a monthly allowance of ₹1500 for eligible women.
Introduced English-medium education starting from Class 1.
Launched a startup fund of ₹680 crore to drive innovation and…
— Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) November 1, 2024
(Edited by Neena)
