New Delhi (Agency): As Telangana’s Assembly elections draw near, the opposition Congress party is pulling out all the stops to woo voters. With just three months to go before the polls, the party has amped up its efforts, targeting various social groups, including farmers, youth, and most recently, the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, speaking at a public meeting in Chevella, laid out the party’s latest plans for these communities. The Congress is pledging more financial support than is currently available under welfare programs run by the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government.
While the BRS government had previously announced a financial grant of Rs 10 lakh per SC family under its Dalit Bandhu scheme, the Congress has upped the ante by promising Rs 12 lakh under their “Ambedkar Abhaya Hastham” initiative for each SC, ST family within the next five years.
In addition, the Congress has promised to increase reservations for SCs to 18% and for STs in private educational institutions and jobs within private companies receiving government incentives. The party also plans to give house sites and Rs 6 lakh for the construction of houses to every houseless SC and ST family under their “Indiramma Pucca housing scheme.”
The Congress is accusing the BRS government of unfairly seizing lands previously assigned to SCs and STs. They promise to restore these lands to the original assignees and to implement the Recognition of Forest Rights (RoFR) Act, providing land titles for “podu lands” to all eligible beneficiaries.
On top of these new promises, the Congress had already made several pledges as part of their declarations for farmers and the youth. These include a Rs 2 lakh loan waiver for farmers, Rs 15,000 in direct benefits per acre annually, and a Rs 4,000 unemployment allowance for the youth. Moreover, the party aims to fill 2 lakh vacancies in government departments and offer an annual job calendar.
As the elections approach, the Congress plans to make similar declarations for other social groups like backward classes, women, and minorities. The official party manifesto is expected to be released next month.