VIJAYAPURA: Referring to the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, one of the guarantee schemes introduced by the Congress government after it came to power in the state following the 2023 Assembly polls, Medium and Large Industries Minister MB Patil on Wednesday said its benefits should only reach the poor and needy, and not the rich.
Replying to a question at a press conference here, he clarified that there is no discussion at the government level to exclude the rich from the scheme, however, he opined that “the well-off should not enjoy the benefits of such schemes”.
When reminded that during the scheme’s announcement, the Congress had nowhere mentioned that it would only be meant for the poor, Patil admitted the same, however, sharing his viewpoint.
“In my view, such schemes should only reach the poor. The rich should not enjoy them. Either they should voluntarily give up the scheme, or the government should exclude them from enjoying such benefits,” he said. The minister made it clear that any poor still left out of the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, should be included.
On the allegation of Union minister Shobha Karandlaje that the Congress government is surviving only on guarantee schemes, Patil questioned the BJP’s approach, claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is copying Congress’s welfare guarantees in BJP-ruled states.
“Our guarantees aim to empower the poor and women, and they will continue, along with development. If the BJP’s guarantees are working, why are they copying ours?” Patil questioned.
Regarding pending payments of contractors, Patil shifted the blame on the previous BJP government.