Shimla: Three promises fulfilled in one year, three more to go in another 12 months, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has said. But is the Congress government in a position to honour its poll promises, especially the much publicised financial assistance of Rs 1,500 to all women above the age of 18?
Last week, Himachal Pradesh Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar met Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and apprised her about the decisions of the government to provide the assured sum under the Indira Gandhi Mahila Samman Nidhi to women from January.
As Sukhu heads the only Congress government in the Hindi heartland after the December assembly results, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now upping the ante to corner his government over implementation of 10 poll promises.
On Monday, Sukhu addressed a function to mark one-year of his government in which he assured women of implementing the party’s promise in a phased way. “We will fulfil all the guarantees within five years of our tenure. We have fulfilled some of the assurances and depending upon The state’s fiscal health will meet other assurances too,” Sukhu said. “Despite the tight fiscal situation, we fulfilled three guarantees: Old Pension Scheme, startup fund for youth and English medium schools.”
For aiding the unemployed youth, the Himachal government has launched an e-taxi scheme under the first phase of Rs 680 crore Rajiv Gandhi self-employment start-up scheme. English as a teaching medium will be introduced in all primary schools for Class 1 and 2 from the next session. Both decisions were made in November.
As for the pension promise, Sukhu himself had said that the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) would cost the state about Rs 800 crore to Rs 900 crore in the year 2023. The impact of this decision, which benefits 1.36 lakh employees, on the exchequer will be known in the next few years.
At least two Congress functionaries, including an MLA and a Cabinet minister, conceded the pressing need to disburse the promised sum to women after the December election results.
“Though the State’s financial health is not good and the Centre has been non-cooperative throughout the bad phase, still we have to do something about guarantees. At least we should go ahead in a phased manner to implement the assurance of Rs 1,500 per woman per month,” a Himachal cabinet minister told ThePrint.
An MLA, from Kangra district, told ThePrint: “After the recent loss in three states, we need to do something in Himachal. BJP is making these guarantees an issue especially after we lost in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. If we fulfill the Rs 1,500 assurance, we can counter the BJP’s narrative. Because this assurance is related to the biggest section of society.”
Also Read: Six months in, Sukhu-led Congress govt in Himachal faces a grim fiscal outlook
Too tall a promise to deliver?
Soon after the Congress government was formed in December 2022, it enhanced the pension of more than 2.31 lakh women to Rs 1,500, who earlier were getting Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,150, from 1 April this year.
Then in May, the Sukhu government announced Rs 1,500 to all women of Spiti Block of Lahaul Spiti district but they are yet to get the promised sum.
“Our government has enhanced the financial assistance of 2.31 lakh women, who were already getting some amount. We are committed to fulfilling our guarantees and this is just the beginning,” Himachal Pradesh Social Justice Minister Dhani Ram Shandil told ThePrint.
An official of the social justice department said that there are more than 22 lakh women as per the 2011 Census. A formula was discussed to give the aid only to women of the 18-25 age bracket and family’s annual income below Rs 75,000. “It would make 2.25 lakh women eligible for the aid and the state has to spend Rs 411 crore,” the official said.
Another formula under deliberation was the ‘one family, one women’ system. “Still more than 8 lakh women will get the aid and the budget requirement is around Rs 1,500 crore,” the official said.
If the government fulfils its Rs 1,500 financial assurance benefiting 8 lakh women in letter and spirit, the state needs Rs 4,000 crore per annum, a finance department official said.
The target becomes all the more daunting given that Himachal Pradesh has a whopping debt of Rs 75,000 crore as well as liabilities of Rs 11,000 crore arising from payment of arrears of revised pay scales and dearness allowance.
Himachal spends almost one-fourth of its budget on salaries. Of every Rs 100 it spends, according to the budget document, ₹26 is on salary, ₹16 on pension, ₹10 on interest payment, ₹10 on loan repayment, ₹9 on grants to autonomous institutions and the remaining ₹29 on other activities.
A financial department official told ThePrint that Himachal has availed of Rs 1,800 crore loan so far against the limit of around Rs 4,000 crore.
Himachal Pradesh Mahila Congress president Jainab Chandel said that it was unethical to talk about such issues when the state is faced with an unprecedented disaster.
“The BJP government should help Himachal Pradesh. It is the second home of PM Modi, former prime minister Ataj Bihari Vajpayee. The state is left in the lurch with no aid from the Centre. Instead of indulging in politics, BJP leaders should appeal to the central government to help Himachal financially. As far as the assurance of Rs1,500 to every woman is concerned, we have started giving it to 2.32 lakh women and the government is fulfilling the promise for sure. But BJP should also tell people about the Rs 15 lakh promise made by the PM,” she told ThePrint.
But BJP Mahila Morcha’s national general secretary Indu Goswami alleged that the Congress was aware of the state’s finances when it promised financial aid to women. “Had the Congress government fulfilled the promise, women at least would have support, especially during these days of disaster. Congress made tall promises just to win the election. Now, they are clueless and blaming, passing the buck on the central government,” the Rajya Sabha MP told ThePrint.
Understandably, BJP national president J.P. Nadda took a potshot at the Sukhu government for not implementing its promises including four English-medium schools in each assembly segment, incentives to women, generation of 5 lakh jobs, and 300 units of free electricity among others.
Explaining why the financial incentive to women is much talked about in the political circle, political analyst M.P.S Rana told ThePrint that the Congress party had surprised BJP by announcing the freebie last year.
“This was a big assurance in terms of the number of women voters as well as the budgetary requirements. The Congress kept its campaign focused on guarantees, especially stressing upon the Old Pension Scheme and financial aid to women. Congress candidates and workers even filled out forms for women during poll campaigns. BJP had sensed its impact and complained to the Election Commission,” Raina told ThePrint.
How the Sukhu government deals with it is a matter to watch as the state government has estimated a loss of about Rs 10,000 crore caused by the rains, he said. “This is the government’s biggest challenge.”
At Kullu’s Sainj village where the floods caused massive devastation, Seeta Devi asserted that the state government should fulfill its promises. Devi’s house was partially damaged in the floods in July.
“Bahut si mahilaaon ne haath ko vote diya. Main to padi likhi nahin hoon lekin suna hai ab bol rahe hain ki sabko nahin milenge. de diye hote to aaj kuch sahara hota. (Many women voted for Congress. I am illiterate but I heard that all women will not get the aid. Had the government given the amount, it would have been a support today),” she told ThePrint.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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