Promises ‘Mahalakshmi scheme’, which will provide Rs 1 lakh assistance to elderly women of poor families.
On the day of voting for 96 Lok Sabha seats in the fourth phase, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Monday highlighted how the grand old party had changed the lives of people across the country with its national food security and MGNREGA like schemes. And now with its “Mahalakshmi scheme” it plans to change the lives of women across the country, who are facing the brunt of “severe inflation”.
In a video statement, Sonia Gandhi highlighting the contribution of women in nation building, said, “Women have made a huge contribution from the freedom struggle to the creation of modern India.” “However, today our women are facing crisis amid severe inflation,” she said pointing out the issue of inflation.
Highlighting the party’s Mahalakshmi scheme that will provide Rs 1 lakh per annum to elderly woman member of every poor family across the country, she said, “To do justice to their hard work and penance, Congress has come up with a revolutionary step. Under Congress’s ‘Mahalakshmi’ scheme, we will give Rs 1 lakh every year to a woman from a poor family.”
She pointed out, “Our guarantees have already changed the lives of crores of families in Karnataka and Telangana. Be it MNREGA, Right to Information, Right to Education or Food Security… Congress Party has empowered millions of Indians through our schemes.”
“Mahalakshmi is the newest guarantee to take our work forward. In this difficult time, I want to assure you that the hand of Congress is with you and this hand will change your situation,” she added.
The Congress this year in its manifesto has promises 5 nyay and 25 guarantees, which it has named Nyaypatra. The party has promised Rs 1 lakh per annum to every elder women of poor family across the country under nari nyay, implementation of women’s reservation bill, filing 30 lakh vacant government posts, providing legal MSP to the farmers, implementation of Swaminathan Commission report, scrapping of Agniveer scheme.
Congress has also promised that it will conduct a nationwide socio-economic caste census to enumerate the castes, sub-castes and their socio-economic conditions. Based on the data, the party said it would strengthen the agenda for affirmative action.
The party guarantees that it will pass a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes; 10 per cent reservation in jobs and educational institutions for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) will be implemented for all castes and communities without discrimination.
Congress will abolish the contractualisation of regular jobs in the government and public sector enterprises and ensure the regularisation of such appointments.