Congress government plans to set up special committee to implement five guarantees

BENGALURU: Even as several people across the state are already refusing to pay up their power bills and women demanding free rides in buses, the newly elected Congress government is planning to set up a special committee to oversee implementation of its five guarantees as it would be difficult for the government to keep a close watch on its execution.

The Congress party had announced five major guarantees in the run-up to the Assembly election — Gruha Jyoti: 200 units of free power to all households; Gruha Lakshmi: Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family; Anna Bhagya: 10 kg of rice free to every member of a BPL household; Yuva Nidhi scheme: Rs 1,500 allowance for diploma holders per month and Rs 3,000 per month for graduates and above for a period of two years; and Sakhi: Free bus rides for all women in the state.

A blueprint is likely to be prepared after the next Cabinet meeting on June 1. The committee is being formed to execute the guarantees and senior ministers and economic experts are expected to be included in it. The guarantees will be implemented after discussing them in detail in the cabinet meeting and after taking the opinion of the committee.

The committee will periodically review the implementation of the guarantees and ensure that the beneficiaries do not misuse the benefits of the guarantees.