Siddaramaiah on a dole roll approves 5 guarantees, will cost Karnataka Rs 50,000 crore

The Karnataka cabinet led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Dy CM DK Shivakumar has approved the 5 poll guarantees on Friday which were promised by the Congress party during the election campaign. Briefing the press after approving the 5 guarantees Siddaramaiah said, “We held a cabinet meeting today. We discussed all five promises thoroughly. We have decided that all five guarantees will be implemented in the present financial year.”

“Implementation (of guarantee about 200 units of free electricity) will begin from 1st July. 200 units of electricity will be free...Consumers who haven't paid their bills till July will have to pay,” Siddaramaiah stated. 

#BREAKING | Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah holds news briefing on Congress' 5 guarantees, says 'We will stick to promises.'#Siddaramaiah #Karnataka #DkShivakumar pic.twitter.com/EDfliYCvcy

— Republic (@republic)

The Siddaramaiah government has estimated that the implementation of these guarantees may cost around ₹50,000 crore to the exchequer every year. 

The five "main" guarantees listed by the party in its election manifesto are: 

• Gruha Jyoti: 200 units of free electricity for all households;

• Gruha Lakshmi 2,000 rupees per month in assistance for the woman head of every family;

• Anna Bhagya: 10 kilogrammes of free rice for each family member of a Below Poverty Line household;

• Yuva Nidhi- 3,000 rupees per month for unemployed graduate youth and 1,500 rupees per month for unemployed diploma holders (between the age of 18-25);

• Uchita Prayana- Free transport in public buses for women.

The CM announced that the Gruha Lakshmi plan, which guarantees Rs 2,000 per month to every woman "kartha" in a family, will go into effect on August 15. From June 15 to July 15, the online application will be accessible. Beneficiaries will need to submit their Aadhaar cards bank account information. 

Expansion of the Karnataka Cabinet

After the addition of 24 additional ministers to the government, the Congress government in the state reached its maximum size of 34 on May 27.

After discussions with the party's central leadership, the Chief Minister and Dy CM Shivakumar extended the Karnataka Cabinet.

On May 20, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, both took the oath of office as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister respectively. 

The Siddaramaiah-led Congress regime then issued the directives for the fulfilling of the five promises that the party had pledged before the elections.