MYSURU: The Congress government in Karnataka will launch the ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ scheme that offers a monthly aid of Rs 2,000 each to 1.10 crore women heads of family, in Mysuru on Wednesday. ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ is one of the five guarantees announced by the Congress ahead of the recent Karnataka Assembly elections held in May.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar offered prayers at the Chamundeshwari Temple on the eve of the launch of the scheme on Tuesday. The scheme will be launched at Maharaja’s College grounds in Mysuru — the home district of Siddaramaiah.
Speaking to reporters, Siddaramaiah said that AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will launch ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ — the fourth guarantee announced by the Congress, which was instrumental in ousting the BJP from power in the state. Recalling that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Opposition parties in Karnataka had criticised the Congress saying that the state would go bankrupt if the guarantees are implemented, Siddaramaiah said the government has shown political will and implemented the guarantees made to the people of the state.
Siddaramaiah said that the government is not into vendetta politics and has ordered a probe into various scams, including in PSI recruitment and 40% commission charges.
DyCM Shivakumar said that with the blessings of the almighty and the public, the government has got an opportunity to implement the guarantees in the state. He said that the Gruha Lakshmi scheme will benefit 1.1 crore women. “Over 1.41 lakh consumers have benefitted from Gruha Jyothi scheme and 46 crore women have travelled under the Shakti scheme,” he said, adding that 1.41 crore families have benefitted from the Anna Bhagya scheme within 100 days of the Congress government coming to power.
Meanwhile, Mysuru has been decked up for the launch of the Gruha Lakshmi scheme. Life-size cutouts of Congress leaders, including the CM and DyCM, have been put up across the city. A 104-ft-wide screen has been erected behind the main stage of the venue at Maharaja’s College Grounds. The venue can accommodate nearly 1 lakh women who are expected from Mysuru and nearby districts of Kodagu, Hassan, Chamarajanagar and Mandya. Nearly 2,000 buses will be used to ferry the beneficiaries to the venue.