Bengaluru: Putting an end to speculation over the revision of guarantee schemes, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that the welfare programs would continue and the Congress government was all set to make innovations to help beneficiaries further.
Delivering his speech on the occasion of the 78th Independence Day in Bengaluru, he stated, “These programs will continue and we will give a befitting reply through economic growth of the state to those who made the prophecy that the state will go bankrupt due to these schemes. We are all set to make innovations and help the beneficiaries further.”
“Our government, which came to power in 2023 with a clear majority, has taken decisive steps in this direction over the last 15 months. Our government has taken the initiative to provide financial security to the people of Karnataka by implementing five guarantee schemes and keeping our promise. These schemes have brought relief to the lives of people who have suffered due to the rising financial inequality,” CM Siddaramaiah stated.
Through the five guarantee schemes - Gruhalakshmi, Shakti, Gruha Jyothi, Anna Bhagya and Yuva Nidhi - each beneficiary family receives direct and indirect benefits amounting to an average of Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per month.
“This is the concept of Universal Basic Income, which provides direct financial assistance to poor families. Karnataka is the only state implementing such a programme in a big way, which is being implemented in developed countries to help the poor and we are proud of it,” CM Siddaramaiah claimed.
He added that women in Karnataka have already availed 270 crore free trips under the Shakti Scheme and saved around Rs 6,541 crore, while under the Gruhalakshmi scheme Rs 25,259 crore has been transferred directly to the accounts of 1.20 crore women.
