Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said the government’s guarantee schemes have reached over 4.6 crore people in the State, and with that, the purchasing power of the people strengthened.
He was addressing a convention of beneficiaries of guarantee schemes in Chikkamagaluru on Sunday. In Chikkamgaluru district alone, women had utilised the benefit of free travel under the Shakti scheme over 1.52 crore times, which incurred an expenditure of over ₹55 crore. Besides that, the number of people visiting the pilgrimage centres also increased in the State with the effective implementation of the scheme.
Similarly, 2.95 lakh families were getting the benefit of Gruhajyothi, 2.41 lakh families were getting Anna Bhagya, 2.44 lakh women were getting ₹2,000 every month under Gruha Lakshmi, and 2,657 youth had enrolled in the Yuva Nidhi scheme. The government had been spending ₹486.86 crore to reach these benefits to the beneficiaries in the district, he said.
Coming down heavily on the BJP leaders for their comments on the guarantee schemes, Mr. Siddaramaiah said the BJP had been doing politics only on ‘emotional issues’. “They are interested in ensuring Congress-mukth Bharat. But, our focus is on creating a hunger-free India,” he said.
He also conveyed his wishes to the people of Chikkamagaluru district, who elected Congress MLAs in all five constituencies.
He said the government would soon frame rules to grant land to coffee planters on the lease. The officers had been told to finalise the rules soon. The scheme would benefit the planters in the Malnad area.
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, addressing the beneficiaries, said the guarantee schemes had been benefiting all families, irrespective of the party they supported.
Referring to leaders of the BJP and JD(S) criticizing the guarantee schemes, Mr. Shivakumar challenged them to ask their party supporters to give up the benefits of the schemes. “If you have guts and confidence in your party workers, ask them to give up the benefits. Let them write to the government, refusing the benefits. Can they do it? I will salute the leaders who give such a call to the workers,” he said.
Energy Minister K.J. George, legislators H.D. Thammaiah, T.D. Raje Gowda, Nayana Motamma, G.H. Srinivas and officers were present at the programme.
