Revanth Reddy makes more Congress promises in Telangana; manifesto on 17 November

Subsequently, Kharge is expected to participate in election rallies at Quthubullahpur. Rahul Gandhi will be participating in road shows and election rallies in Narsampet and Warangal East.

Additional promises

Besides the existing poll promises, Revanth Reddy announced a few more additional guarantees.

He said during a poll rally in Medchal that ₹1 lakh and 10 gm of gold would be given to women at the time of their marriage. He also promised free internet and electric scooters for students.

Reddy added that ₹5 lakh would be given to every college-going student under the Education Bharosa card to meet their educational expenses.

He also promised that if elected to power, the Congress would provide ₹5 lakh to every poor person who wanted to build a house.

Under Arogyasree, free medical care up to ₹10 lakh would be provided and ₹4,000 per month, as per the earlier announced promise under “Indiramma Rajyam”.

Revanth also said that the party would provide gas cylinders for ₹500 and a payment of ₹2,500 to women per month, which was announced earlier. A degree college and a 100-bed hospital would also be built in Medchal, he said.

Meanwhile, the manifesto is expected to include recognition of RMP and PMP practitioners, and honourable salaries to ward members in gram panchayats.

Asked about the benefits to journalists, a Congress spokesperson said the party would also provide post-retirement benefits.

The spokesperson also said that many of the aforementioned benefits would be announced in the manifesto. Expected announcements are:

• Honorarium to members of wards in villages
• Honorarium and commission to dealers of ration shops
• Abhya Hastam to be revived insurance scheme for self-help groups
• Identity cards to RMPs
• Amma Hastam: Nine essential commodities to be distributed
• Separate corporation for Most Backward Caste (MBC) communities
• Bhu Bharathi in place of Dharani
• Free travel for journalists in the metro
• Constitution of a media commission
• Kalyana Lakshmi will become Pasupu Kumkuma, under which ₹1 lakh and one tola of gold are to be given as a gift
• Fine rice to be distributed to ration-card holders
• Free internet to students
• Old Pension Scheme for government employees
• Financial help to auto-drivers.

Related: Congress unveils Karnataka 2.0 for Telangana with 6 guarantees

The six guarantees

The Congress pledged to implement the six schemes — if it came to power — at its Vijaya Bheri meeting held at Tukkuguda on the outskirts of Hyderabad on 17 September.

The party had given five guarantees during the run-up to the 10 May Karnataka Assembly elections and has implemented four of them ever since it rode to power with a comfortable majority.

The guarantees made to Telangana cover a broad spectrum of citizens, encompassing a wide range of benefits, from enhanced pensions to free bus rides for women, pension benefits to farmers, and free electricity to all residents.

* Mahalakshmi

Former AICC president Sonia Gandhi introduced the first guarantee, “Mahalakshmi”, specifically for women. Under this assurance, women heads of families will receive ₹2,500 per month, LPG cylinders at ₹500, and free rides on TSRTC buses. It is pertinent to note here that Telangana has been granting a monthly pension of ₹2,016 to widows and single women.

* Rythu Bharosa

Under this guarantee, the Telangana Congress pledged to provide ₹15,000 annually for landowners and tenants; ₹12,000 for agricultural labourers; and a bonus of ₹500 per quintal of paddy. Notably, the existing Rythu Bandhu scheme by the BRS-led Telangana government provides ₹10,000 annually per acre to farmers.

* Gruha Jyothi

This guarantee is an adaptation of a programme launched in Karnataka: It promises 200 units of free electricity to all households in the state. However, its details are yet to be disclosed. Under the Karnataka model, only households consuming up to 200 units per month receive zero bills under the scheme.

Also read: Gaps in Telangana Congress’ election campaign

* Indiramma Indlu

Indiramma Indlu has roots in the previous UPA government’s Indira Awas Yojana, subsequently renamed the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana by the current NDA government. It assures allocation of residential sites and ₹5 lakh for homeless individuals, besides a 250-square-yard plot to all participants of the Telangana movement.

* Yuva Vikasam

The Yuva Vikasam assurance encompasses Vidya Bharosa Cards worth ₹5 lakh for students. Its specific eligibility criteria and identification processes are yet to be announced. It also guarantees Telangana International Schools in every mandal of the state.

* Cheyutha

The Cheyutha guarantee, which translates to “helping hands”, draws its inspiration from both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

In Telangana, the government operates the Asara pension scheme, extending financial assistance of ₹2,016 to various groups, including the elderly, widows, the Goud community, individuals with elephantiasis, AIDS patients, the physically disabled, and beedi workers.

Incidentally, Andhra Pradesh has the YSR Cheyutha programme, benefitting 23 lakh women aged between 45 and 60 from BC, SC, ST, and minority communities. Over four years, these women would receive a total of ₹75,000 — ₹18,750 per annum.

The Telangana Congress has also pledged to provide a monthly pension of ₹4,000, besides ₹10 lakh Rajiv Arogyasri insurance coverage for senior citizens.

Congress' guarantees for Telangana's prosperity and well-being pic.twitter.com/XCoPjgkjaw

— Congress (@INCIndia) November 12, 2023