Naidu Announces Freebies To Lure Voters In Assembly Polls

VIJAYAWADA: Telugu Desam president Nara Chandababu Naidu on Sunday kick-started the party’s poll campaign for the general elections by promising several freebies to attract women, youths and farmers, if his party wins the polls.

Addressing a large gathering at a public meeting as part of TD's Mahanadu event, in Rajamahendravaram, Naidu promised a ‘Mahasakthi’ scheme for women. Accordingly, each woman aged between 18 and 59 years would be given financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month by setting up an Adabidda Nidhi. The offers are on condition that the party wins power in AP in the next polls.

 “With this, each eligible woman will get Rs 18,000 per annum and a total of Rs 90,000 in five years. There is no limit to the number of women beneficiaries in each family,” he declared.

Under a Thalliki Vandanam scheme, each woman would be given Rs 15,000 per year and there are no restrictions on the number of women beneficiaries in each family, he said.

The TD chief said that earlier he encouraged family planning to restrict the number of children in every family but said he would impose no curbs on the number of children so that they would study and become an asset to the nation. “The amount announced for mothers would be used to help their children pursue education,” he said.

Naidu promised to lift the current ban on those having two children to contest the local body polls. “Once my party is elected to power, I shall dump this rule,” he said.

He promised three domestic gas refills free of cost to each family per annum under a Deepam scheme.

Naidu also promised free travel to women in APSRTC buses within their district and appealed to women to support Telugu Desam in the next polls.

Under the scheme of Yuvagalam, Naidu promised an unemployment stipend of Rs 3,000 per month and said he would help generate 20 lakh jobs in the state in the five years after assuming power. He called upon the youth to think beyond considerations of caste, region and religion and wished them a bright future.

Under ‘Annadata’, Naidu promised a financial assistance of Rs 20,000 per head to farmers per annum and also efforts to make agriculture a profitable vocation.

He said another plan of his party is to provide a tap connection to every house to supply drinking water in a time-bound manner under the Intintiki Neeru scheme.

He promised to work for the welfare of BCs and claimed they formed the backbone of his party. “We would bring in a ‘BC Protection Act’ to uplift the backward communities.”

He said, “I assure you to work hard and provide you with the best governance in five years. I will give a bright future to our youth. I appeal to all of you to reach out to the people from Monday and discuss the sops announced by me and seek their support in the polls.”

Naidu said he would announce the party’s manifesto on a full scale by Dasara festival and blew the conch to mark the beginning of the poll campaign in the state.