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BRS poll manifesto promises free insurance for BPL families, ₹400 LPG cylinder
Telangana chief minister and BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao released his party’s poll manifesto at the Telangana Bhawan on Sunday
Free life insurance cover up to ₹5 lakh for every family below poverty line, enhancement of assistance to farmers under Rythu Bandhu scheme from the present ₹10,000 per year to ₹16,000 per year in the next five years and supply of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder at ₹400 are some of the major promises doled out by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) as part of its manifesto for the Telangana assembly elections to be held on November 30.
Releasing the manifesto at a press conference held at the Telangana Bhavan on Sunday, BRS president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said his government had implemented whatever it had promised during the previous elections, adopted the best policies in the country and made it No. 1 state in all aspects.
“We have the country’s best economic policy, agriculture policy, drinking water policy, irrigation policy, power policy, Dalit policy, welfare policy, industrial policy and housing policy, which are successfully being implemented. The present manifesto is aimed at not only continuing all these policies, but also introducing new schemes that would improve the livelihood of all sections of people,” he said.
Explaining the initiative enunciated in the election manifesto, the chief minister said around 93 lakh families falling below poverty line would be provided with life insurance cover up to ₹5 lakh under KCR Bima, on the lines of Rythu Bima.
“The government itself will pay 100 percent premium to the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) for all the beneficiaries. It will not only provide succour to the poor families, but also save the LIC from being pushed into losses,” he said.
The BRS manifesto promises to provide fine rice to all ration card holders under the Telangana Annapurna Scheme with effect from April-May, 2024.
The chief minister announced enhancement of social security pensions being given to senior citizens and women under “Aasara” scheme from the present ₹2,016 per month each to ₹6,000 in the next five years. “In the coming year, it will be made ₹3,016 and it will be gradually enhanced to ₹6,000 in the next five years.
“The Divyangs have already been promised ₹4,016 from this year and it will be increased to ₹6,000 gradually,” he said.
Under the Rythu Bandhu scheme, the farmers are being extended financial assistance of ₹ ₹10,000 each per year. “It will be increased to ₹12,000 in the first year and will be gradually increased to ₹16,000 in the next five years. Paddy procurement policy will continue,” he said.
Another major promise made in the BRS election manifesto is payment of financial assistance of ₹3,000 per month to each eligible poor woman under Soubhagya Lakshmi scheme.
KCR also announced the supply of subsidised LPG cylinders at ₹400 to each eligible BPL family. “This is to provide succour to women who are being burdened with ever-increasing LPG prices by the Centre. The state government itself will bear the subsidy burden,” he said, adding that the subsidised LPG cylinders scheme would be applicable even to the accredited journalist families.
The manifesto announced a new health scheme called “KCR Arogya Raksha” under which all eligible persons will get cashless treatment in private hospitals up to ₹15 lakh. Under the existing Arogya Sri scheme, the limit was ₹10 lakh. “We shall also extend this health scheme even for accredited journalists,” the chief minister said.
Stating that the BRS, if voted to power again, will continue the existing policy of constructing double-bedroom houses for another one lakh poor families, besides paying ₹5 lakh per house to those who own their house site.
Another promise made by KCR is the establishment of 119 residential schools for economically weaker sections among the upper caste people, one in each constituency, on the lines of existing residential institutions for SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities. He also promised to upgrade some of the residential junior colleges into degree colleges.
The BRS manifesto also promised to come out with a policy for orphan children. “The state government will adopt these orphaned children and call them ‘State Children’ and provide them all educational facilities,” he said.
KCR assured to bring out a policy on assigned lands, wherein the poor people who were assigned government lands, would be able to sell them when they needed money.
For minorities, the chief minister declared that the budgetary allocation for the minorities would be enhanced substantially, to protect the Ganga-Jamuna Tehjeeb in the state.
