Guarantees ‘burden’ on govt, but will continue: Shivakumar
The ruling Congress’ five “guarantees” aimed at different segments of the society are a “burden” on the state exchequer but the people will continue receiving these benefits, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said on Thursday.
He was repeating his remarks made on Wednesday. He, however, said that many drew benefits in the name of “dead people”, which has to be stopped. “There is no need to revise the guarantees,” he told reporters in Bengaluru.
Shivakumar on Wednesday said that the state government’s five guarantees were aimed at strengthening families financially and mentally. He asserted that welfare measures would continue despite the burden on the exchequer.
His comments have led to a debate in the state, with ruling and opposition leaders weighing in. While the Congress said the benefits of the guarantees should be limited to people below the poverty line, the opposition BJP charged that development works have come to a halt in the state.
The five guarantee schemes are ‘Gruha Jyothi,’ offering 200 units electricity free to every household, ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ scheme that provides Rs 2,000 to every woman head of a family and ‘Anna Bhagya’ offering 10 kg rice to every member of the BPL family a month.
The ‘Yuva Nidhi’ scheme promises Rs 3,000 dole to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders for two years (in the 18-25 age-group) and the ‘Shakti’ scheme permits free travel for Karnataka women to travel within the state in government non-luxury buses.
Speaking at an event here earlier, Shivakumar said the guarantees were designed to ensure that money remains in the hands of citizens and that they do not lose confidence during times of distress. He acknowledged that the schemes may place a financial burden on the government but maintained that public welfare would not be compromised.
“It may be a burden on the government. But even if it is a burden, your financial strength should not weaken mentally,” he said. The deputy CM reiterated that the Congress government would stand by people across sectors and would not compromise on allocations for key departments, asserting that welfare and confidence-building measures were central to governance. Backing Shivakumar, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told reporters in Mangaluru on Wednesday that the state government would continue implementing its five guarantee schemes despite the heavy financial commitment involved, asserting that development works were not being compromised.
Responding to questions from reporters on the his deputy’s remarks that the schemes were a burden, Siddaramaiah said that the expenditure was substantial but necessary.
“If you say burden, it amounts to more than Rs 52,000 crore per year. That might be what he meant,” Siddaramaiah said. He maintained that the government had already allocated significant funds towards fulfilling its poll promises and would continue
to do so.
