The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has promised to provide three cooking gas cylinders annually without any cost to all Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in Karnataka even as it insisted that this wasn’t a ‘freebie’. The announcement was made in the party's election manifesto, which was released on May 1. Under this scheme, BPL families in the state will receive one free cooking gas cylinder each during the months of Yugadi, Ganesh Chaturthi, and Deepavali.
The party has also promised to implement the 'Poshane Scheme' aimed at improving the nutritional intake of Below Poverty Line (BPL) households in the state. As part of this scheme, every BPL household will be provided with half a liter of Nandini milk every day, and five kilograms of rice and grains in their monthly ration kits.
When asked whether these promises can be classified as ‘freebies’ BJP Party President JP Nadda asserted that there was a difference between freebies and empowerment. He added that empowering a certain section of the society does not fall under freebies.
“Giving free electricity to everyone can be classified as freebies, but when BPL families get 5kg rice and 5kg wheat it is empowerment as they need it. It is for the common people and it is their need not their greed,” Nadda said.
In January 2022, BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay filed a PIL in the Supreme Court claiming that the promise of distribution of "freebies” using public funds before elections could influence voters and requested the need for regulation of these ‘freebies’. The plea had contended that such decisions by political parties violated Articles 14, 162, 266(3) and 282 of the Constitution.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had even slammed the practice of giving “freebies” as “revdi culture”.
Meanwhile, BJP, in their manifesto also said that it would increase widow pension from Rs. 800 to Rs 2,000. The party has also promised to establish an 'Atal Aahara Kendra' in every ward of every municipal corporation in the state. The 'Atal Aahara Kendra' will aim to provide affordable, high-quality, and nutritious food to people across the state. The state already has Indira canteens that provide subsidised food.
The BJP's proposed initiative is named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had initiated the 'Annapurna Scheme' during his tenure, which aimed to provide food at subsidized rates to senior citizens.
The BJP in its manifesto, announced the 'Sarvarigu Suru Yojane', which aims to provide housing sites to the homeless and siteless people in the state. Under this scheme, the Revenue Department will identify and distribute 10 lakh housing sites across the state.
'Onake Obava Samajika Nyay Nidhi' scheme was also announced in the manifesto. The scheme aims to provide financial assistance to women from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) households in the state.
Under this scheme, women from SC and ST households can make a five-year fixed deposit with a bank or post office, and the government will provide a matching deposit of up to Rs. 10,000. The BJP has emphasized that the scheme will help to improve the financial independence of women from marginalized communities and enable them to become self-reliant.
