NAVEENA GHANATE
Hyderabad
BRS supremo Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao released the BRS manifesto on Sunday.
The BRS manifesto stresses social welfare by promising to hike social security pensions, increase the financial assistance given under the ‘Rythu Bandhu’ investment support scheme for farmers and provide LPG cylinders at Rs 400 each.
KCR said that all the 93 lakh families below the poverty line (BPL) in the state would be provided a life insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh and that the government would pay its premium.He said that the social security pension which currently stands at Rs 2,016 will be increased to Rs 5,000 per month gradually over the next five years by increasing it by Rs 500 every year.
The BRS manifesto says that it will be increased to Rs 3,016 in the first year after the BRS returns to power, and then to Rs 5,000 in the next four years.The pension for persons with disabilities will be enhanced to Rs 6,016 in the next five years from the existing Rs 4016.
Under the ‘Rythu Bandhu’ scheme in which farmers get Rs 10,000 per annum per acre, payments will be increased gradually to Rs 16,000 per annum over the next five years.
The BRS, after returning to power, will give an LPG cylinder for Rs 400 to ‘eligible beneficiaries’ and the remaining cost will be borne by the state government, the manifesto said and added that “the Centre has put an unbearable burden on the common man by sharply raising the prices of LPG.”
“We promise that the BRS will provide a living allowance of Rs 3,000 per month to all deserving poor women,” KCR said.
The BRS manifesto also promises a health insurance cover of Rs 15 lakh for all eligible beneficiaries under the ‘Aarogyasri’ health scheme increasing it from the present Rs 5 lakh.
KCR also promised to distribute fine rice through fair-price shops soon after the party comes to power and to provide a livelihood allowance of Rs 3,000 per month to “all deserving poor women.”
“We promise that the BRS will provide house sites for the poor who have no house. The current housing policy is good and we will continue it,” KCR said.
He said that the old pension scheme for government employees being implemented by some states is boomeranging. The Centre is not agreeing to bring back the old pension scheme, he indicated.
“A special committee will be appointed to study this issue. A decision will be taken based on the report,” the CM said.
KCR expressed confidence that his party would return to power and said that the promises made by the BRS would be implemented within six to seven months after forming the government. Before releasing the manifesto, the CM said his government had implemented 90 per cent of the welfare schemes although they were not mentioned in the manifesto during the last elections.
