BENGALURU: Over the fears expressed by Bharatiya Janata Party leaders on 5-guarantees stoppage midway in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister and president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) D.K. Shivakumar categorically ruled out 5-guarantee schemes coming to a halt in Karnataka and termed the 5-guarantee schemes as 'strength' of the Congress party.
The Congress party after it returned to power in 2023 Assembly elections implemented its assurance of 5-guarantee schemes such as free travel for women in State run buses, Rs 2,000 cash benefit scheme for female head of a family, up to 200 units of free power to a customer among two others.
He also clarified that neither he nor Chief Minister Siddaramaiah have ever thought about bringing in changes to the 5-guarantee implemented in the State or to cut down the schemes. However, he said, deliberations are done to distribute identity cards to beneficiaries of the 5-guarantee schemes.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru after inauguration of 5-Guarantee Scheme Implementation Office in Padmanabha Nagar of Bengaluru, Shivakumar pointed out that late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi introduced old age pension, widow pension, among others in the country. In Karnataka, farmers are benefited by 10 hp of free power to pump sets and Stree Shakti Scheme came into effect during the term of S.M. Krishna was the Chief Minister and questioned “Have any of these schemes stopped?”
Criticising Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders over their perception on 5-guarantee schemes, Shivakumar stated “BJP leaders cannot bring 5-gurantees to a halt even if they take 100 re-birth?”
He threw a question at BJP and Janata Dal Secular (JDS) leaders “Did Yediyurappa, Sadananda Gowda, Jagadeesh Shettar, Basavaraj Bommai (all BJP Chief Ministers) implemented such schemes during their rule” or “Did JDS when in power bring such schemes?”
The Deputy Chief Minister ruled out the State faced fund crunch owing to implementation of 5-guarantee schemes and stated when S.M. Krishna was the Chief Minister (1999-2004) the budget size was Rs 26 lakh crore now it is Rs 3.71 lakh crore. “A sum of Rs 56,000 crore has been set aside for 5-guarantees to run,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Forests and Environment Eshwar Khandre stated the 5-guarantee schemes have increased the purchasing power of the people and more than a crore people have come out of below poverty line.
