With simply three months to go for Assembly elections in Telangana, ruling BRS and opposition Congress are engaged in aggressive politics of freebies to woo voters.
While Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is saying and implementing a slew of welfare schemes, Congress is making an attempt to outdo the ruling celebration by promising even greater doles.
The BRS is shifting at a jet pace to implement new schemes earlier than the Model of Conduct comes into drive. The ruling celebration has already outsmarted the opposition by saying candidates for 115 out of 119 Assembly seats.
The authorities is coming with bulletins each day to both improve the quantum of assist being supplied to numerous sections or roll out new schemes to lure the voters.
The Congress celebration however is making an attempt to beat BRS by promising greater than what the federal government is presently doling out. Be it farm mortgage waiver, funding help to be given to farmers, housing scheme for poor or social safety pensions, the Congress celebration goes all out to woo voters.
Since June 2, the state formation day, the BRS has introduced a number of new schemes to consolidate its vote financial institution. The state Assembly final month handed a laws to soak up over 43, 000 staff of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) right into a authorities scheme.
In July, KCR introduced regularising the companies of Village Revenue Assistants (VRAs) consequent to the abolition of the previous income system.
On the strains of Dalit Bandhu, the federal government introduced BC Bandhu. Under the scheme, Rs1 lakh monetary help is prolonged to Backward Classes depending on cast-based professions.
Later, the federal government introduced an identical scheme for minorities to supply monetary help of Rs1 lakh every to jobless youth.
As the BRS had come beneath assault from the opposition for failing to meet its promise made in 2018 elections to waive crops loans of as much as Rs1 lakh, on the eve of the Independence Day KCR ordered launch of over Rs 5, 800 crore to waive loans of lower than Rs 1 lakh of over 9 lakh farmers.
The authorities additionally introduced Gruha Laxmi to supply Rs 3 lakh assist to the poor for constructing homes. The distribution of 2BHK homes amongst beneficiaries was additionally launched final month.
The authorities elevated the pension for the differently-abled from Rs 3, 016 to Rs 4, 016 per 30 days. KCR has hinted at an identical hike for different beneficiaries.
Releasing declarations for varied sections of voters, Congress is trying to replicate the Karnataka mannequin.
After unveiling declarations of farmers, youth and unemployed, the celebration final week introduced its plans for the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
The Congress celebration is promising increased monetary help to numerous beneficiaries of the schemes being applied by the BRS authorities.
While the BRS authorities final yr introduced a monetary grant of Rs 10 lakh for each SC household beneath Dalit Bandhu scheme, the Congress has promised Rs 12 lakhs beneath Ambedkar Abhaya Hastham per SC, ST household inside 5 years ranging from 2023-24.
The Congress promised reservations for SC, STs in personal instructional establishments and in jobs in personal corporations availing incentives from the federal government.
The grand previous celebration has additionally promised that the reservations for SCs will likely be elevated to 18 per cent. A home website and Rs 6 lakh for development of homes will likely be given to each houseless SC and ST household beneath Indiramma Pucca housing scheme.
The Congress promised that the Recognition of Forest Rights (RoFR) Act will likely be applied to supply pattas for podu lands to all of the eligible beneficiaries. Under Sammakka Sarakka Girijana Graminabhivrudhi Pathakam (SGGP), an annual grant of Rs 25 lakh will likely be supplied to every Tanda and Gudem Gram Panchayats.
The celebration had launched its declaration for farmers final yr whereas it launched a declaration for youth and unemployed in May.
The guarantees embody Rs 2 lakh mortgage waiver. This is in opposition to Rs 1 lakh mortgage waiver promised by BRS in 2018 elections, however applied solely final month.
‘Indiramma Rythu Bharosa’ scheme will likely be launched to supply funding help of Rs 15, 000 per acre each year to each land proudly owning farmers in addition to to tenant farmers. The authorities is presently giving Rs 10, 000 to land proudly owning farmers beneath the Rythu Bandhu scheme.
Every landless farm labourer registered beneath MGNREGA will likely be supplied Rs 12, 000 per yr. It promised to obtain all crops grown by farmers within the state with improved MSP.
The Congress celebration additionally promised to reopen closed sugar factories and arrange a turmeric board. A greater crop insurance coverage scheme will likely be launched to cowl crop losses attributable to pure calamities or different causes. Agricultural work can even be built-in into MGNREGA scheme.
The youth constitution launched in May this yr promised Rs 4, 000 as unemployment allowance. BRS had promised Rs 3, 016 as unemployment allowance however failed to meet the promise.
The Congress celebration additionally promised to fill 2 lakh vacancies in authorities departments, annual job calendar and a authorities job every and pension for the households of Telangana martyrs.
Last month, the Congress celebration promised that if voted to energy month-to-month pension of Rs 4, 000 every will likely be paid to numerous beneficiaries like senior residents, widows, single ladies
Chief Minister KCR, who turned Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) into BRS to broaden the celebration in numerous elements of the state, has been projecting the welfare schemes of his authorities primarily 24-hour free energy to farmers, funding help to farmers as a task mannequin for the complete nation.
The BRS authorities is spending about Rs 50, 000 crore yearly on welfare schemes. Last yr, the ruling celebration had reacted strongly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s freebies comment.
Ever since formation of first authorities in Telangana state in 2014, KCR has been specializing in welfare. He defended it on the bottom that 80 per cent of the state’s 4 crore inhabitants come from socially and economically weaker sections of the society.
Under its Aasara Pension Scheme, the BRS authorities has been paying month-to-month pensions to numerous classes of beneficiaries like previous individuals, widows, single ladies, bodily disabled individuals, beedi staff, handloom staff, toddy tappers and sufferers affected by elephantiasis and AIDS.
Some of the classes of those beneficiaries used to get Rs 200 to Rs 500 month-to-month pension in undivided Andhra Pradesh however KCR enhanced it to a variety of Rs 2, 016- Rs 3, 016.
Last yr KCR introduced a pension for an additional 10 lakh beneficiaries, taking the overall variety of beneficiaries to 36 lakh.
Under Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak schemes, the state authorities is giving monetary help of Rs 1, 00, 116 for marriage of each lady from poor households.
Under its flagship scheme Rythu Bandhu, the BRS authorities is offering Rs 10, 000 per acre yearly to farmers in the direction of funding help. Over 63 lakh farmers are benefiting from the scheme.
Under the Rythu Bima scheme, the federal government is offering insurance coverage protection of Rs 5 lakh to the household of the farmer, regardless of the reason for his loss of life.
Ever since Prime Minister Modi’s comment of ‘revadi’ tradition sparked a debate, the TRS leaders strongly defended the welfare scheme.
KCR got here down closely on the Centre for ‘diluting the nation’s federal spirit and working down welfare schemes of states by terming them freebies’.
According to BRS leaders, there are 250 welfare schemes which are being run by the state authorities for the poor.