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Chhattisgarh polls: BJP promises sops for married women, LPG cylinder at ₹500
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the BJP government will also launch ‘Mahtari Vandan Scheme’, under which married women will be given a financial assistance of ₹12,000 per year
Yearly financial assistance to married women and landless agriculture labourers, paddy procurement at Rs.3,100 per quintal and cooking gas cylinders at Rs.500 to poor families are some of the key highlights of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) poll manifesto for Chhattisgarh.
Releasing the election manifesto – ‘Modi’s Guarantee for Chhattisgarh 2023’ during a function at Kushabhau Thakre Parisar at the party’s state office in Raipur, Union home minister Amit Shah said, “An election manifesto is not just a manifesto for the BJP, but a ‘Sankalp Patra’ (document of resolution) for us.”
“Fulfilling our resolution, we had established Chhattisgarh state (in 2000). Now I assure you that we will work to make it a developed state in the next five years,” he added.
In their manifesto, the BJP has also promised to fill one lakh vacant government posts in two years and take people of the state on a visit to the Ayodhya Ram temple.
Shah said that the BJP government will also launch the ‘Mahtari Vandan Scheme’, under which married women will be given financial assistance of Rs.12,000 per year.
Similarly, Deendayal Upadhyay Krishi Majdoor Yojana will be launched, under which landless agricultural labourers will be given Rs.10,000 per year, Shah said.
Moreover, women from poor families will get cooking gas cylinders at Rs.500 each, while students will be given monthly travel allowance for going to college through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), the Union minister said.
Shah said that under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, funds will be sanctioned for the construction of 1.8 million houses in the first cabinet meeting if the BJP is elected to power in Chhattisgarh And every house will have tap water connection within two years under the ‘Ghar Ghar Nirmal Jal Abhiyan’, he added.
Shah said that under the PM Jan Arogya Yojna (Ayushman Bharat), the yearly limit will be doubled and per family will get health insurance of Rs.10 lakh in place of Rs.5 lakh and 500 new Jan Aushadhi Kendra will be set up to provide medicines at reasonable rates, he said.
The BJP government would pay Rs.5500 per standard sack of Tendu leaf a bonus of Rs.4500 will also be given to tenu leaf collectors, Shah said.
The BJP would also launch Chhattisgarh Uddam (enterprise) Kranti Yojna under which interest-free loans with a 50% subsidy will be given to youth, he said.
On the lines of the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), the State Capital Region will be established for the development of Raipur, Naya Raipur, Durg and Bhilai, added Shah, adding that Naya Raipur will be developed into an innovation hub of central India.
“Rani Durgavati Yojna will be launched under which on the birth of girl in BPL (below poverty lines) families, an ‘ashvasan’ (assurance) certificate worth ₹1.50 lakh will be provided, he said.
Briefing further, Shah said, “If BJP is voted to power in the state, ‘Krishi Unnati Scheme’ will be launched, under which 21 quintal per acre paddy will be procured (from farmers) at Rs.3100 per quintal.”
The payment against paddy procurement will be done at one time, he said.
Political experts believe that a document regarding paddy procurement is important and may impact the voting pattern of farmers in the state.
“Major promises made by BJP include the rise in paddy procurement rate. They have promised to procure 21 quintals per acre of paddy in response to Congress’s 20 quintal promise with Rs.3100 per quintal, adding a bonus with MSP (Minimum Support Prices). This is a big announcement which may impact the voting pattern among the paddy farmers mainly in the plains and in some parts of the tribal region as well,” said Harsh Dubey, a political commentator based in Chhattisgarh.
“Another big announcement is for the females, in which BJP has promised to give Rs.12000 per year to married women. It is similar to what they have been giving in MP. They have tried to target mainly the farmers, youth and females,” he added.
Meanwhile, farmer leaders claimed that having faith in the BJP is a big question.
“Earlier, in 2013 Raman Singh (former chief minister of Chhattisgarh) promised to give Rs.2100 (per quintal) to paddy farmers but nothing was done. The bonus of two years was pending when the Raman Singh government was replaced by Congress. Hence it is a matter of faith which farmers will decide on their own,” said Anand Mishra, vice-president of Sunyukt Kisan Morcha Chhattisgarh, said.
Congress chief spokesperson, Sushil Anand Shukla said that the BJP manifesto is misleading and the party is making fake promises.
“Till recently, BJP leaders were claiming that Chhattisgarh farmers can never produce more than 15 quintals in an acre and now they are saying that they will procure paddy of 21 acres. It reflects that they have no intention to give anything to farmers. They only want to mislead the state,” Shukla said.
