Karnataka government, on Friday, launched the Congress party's fifth 'guarantee' scheme that provides unemployment monthly stipend of Rs 3000 to Rs 5000 to graduates and diploma holders respectively.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah handed over cheques to six beneficiaries to symbolically kickstart the ‘Yuva Nidhi’ scheme, meant for the graduates and diploma holders who passed in the academic year 2022-23 and remained jobless even after 180 days of completion of their education.

The stipend will be given only for two years and it will end as soon as the beneficiary gets a job. Those who have enrolled for higher education and continuing studies are not eligible under the scheme.

The state government has earmarked Rs 250 crore for the scheme in the current financial year. It expects that next year, it will cost Rs 1,200 crore to the state exchequer and from 2026 onwards Rs 1,500 crore annually .
The Congress government has already launched four guarantees -- ‘Shakti’, providing free rides to Karnataka women in non-luxury government buses, ‘Anna Bhagya’ offering 10 kg rice to BPL families, ‘Gruha Jyoti’ giving free electricity up to 200 units to household users, and ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ giving Rs 2,000 a month to women heads of families having APL/BPL ration cards.

“We will impart skill development training to the beneficiaries. The duration of this scheme is for two years. If they get a job whether private or government, the benefit will immediately stop. The skill development department will decide which training to be given,” Siddaramaiah told reporters here.

(with PTI inputs)