Saturday, Apr 20, 2024 | Last Update : 05:27 AM IST
'Pre-election bluff’: Arun Jaitley on Rahul Gandhi’s income scheme
Prime Minister Narendra Modi already giving to poor much more than what Congress promises, asserted Jaitley.
New Delhi: Barely four hours after Congress president Rahul Gandhi promised an income guarantee scheme to remove poverty from the country, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley questioned Congress’s ‘final assault on poverty’.
"The latest announcement of the Congress Party if tested on simple arithmetic then ₹72,000 is less than 2/3rd of the existing DBT under Modi government, which averages ₹1.068 lakh annually. So what is being claimed by the Congress Party - A bluff announcement", said Jaitley.
“No political party has betrayed India for more than seven decades other than the Congress Party. It gave people of India slogans & very little resources to implement them. However, PM Narendra Modi has already given the poor what Congress promises”, said Jaitley.
Nehruvian model stagnated growth. Indira Gandhi gave legendary slogan of ‘Garibi Hatao’ in 1971 and just redistributed poverty. The legacy of poverty in India reflects inefficient governance & economic model of the Congress Party, added Jaitley.
Today most industrial workers get more than Rs 12,000 month. The minimum starting salary in government after the 7th pay commission is Rs 18,000 a month. The landless and poor, amongst the villagers, get a MNREGA payment. Minimum wages for the labour have been raised by 42 per cent, said Jaitley.
In the last 5 years, the govt. headed by PM Narendra Modi introduced DBT through banks. Besides subsidies for food, fertilizer, kerosene, 55 Ministries handed over subsidies to the poor through the DBT which was enabled by AADHAAR, said Jaitley.
Jaitley said the addition of expenses made by the government on the various welfare schemes to contend that the PM Narendra Modi-led BJP government’s welfare benefits to people averaged Rs 1,06,800 annually, in comparison to Rs 72,000 that Rahul Gandhi promised.
