'Review 5 guarantees': Karnataka minister sparks row

Karnataka minister Satish Jarkiholi on Wednesday said the guarantee schemes need to be reviewed so that only the economically weaker sections, and not the rich, benefit from them, sparking a debate on the ambitious programmes launched by the Congress government.

Jarkiholi said the state exchequer will be able to save at least Rs 10,000 crore annually by excluding the rich from the schemes, which were pre-poll promises of the party.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had, while presenting the state budget earlier this year, announced that Rs. 52,000 crore has been set aside for the five guarantee schemes during 2024-25.

"Through the five guarantee schemes, we are putting Rs 52,000 crore in the hands of crores (millions) of people, an average of Rs 50,000 to Rs 55,000 is transferred to each family every year through these guarantee schemes," Siddaramaiah had said.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Jarkiholi said: "I am not saying that they (guarantees) should be stopped. People are saying that these guarantees should be given to the poor and not the rich people. This is being discussed in hotels, among workers and everywhere."

"Even the opposition is asking, 'Why are you giving to the rich?' Give it to the poor," the Public Works Minister said.

The government has implemented five guarantees -- free ride for Karnataka women in non-luxury government buses under 'Shakti' scheme, free electricity up to 200 units for domestic consumers under 'Gruha Jyoti', 'Yuva Nidhi' for unemployed graduates and diploma holders offering Rs 3,000 and Rs 1,500 a month for two years, 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme which gives Rs 2,000 to women head of the BPL families and 'Anna Bhagya' scheme offering 10 kg of free food grains to each BPL (Below Poverty Line) family member.

On whether revising the schemes would have a bearing on the popularity of the government, Jarkiholi said: "Who is scrapping them (guarantees)? We are not stopping it. It cannot be done outright. There is a Cabinet and legislative party. These decisions have to be taken at that level, not at my level. Party has to decide."

Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure M B Patil said these guarantees are the Congress party's commitment and hence they will be continued.

He, however, supported the idea of giving the benefit of these guarantees only to the BPL families and not others.

"We have 82 per cent BPL families in the state. The objective is that the BPL families should get the benefit. There is a thinking going on for quite a long time like what is the point in people like M B Patil taking benefits of it," Patil told reporters in his constituency Babaleshwar in Vijayapura district.

Stating that there was a need to have a comprehensive review of the guarantees, the minister said the state government will take appropriate steps at an appropriate time.

Home Minister G Parameshwara declined to comment saying that his opinion was not important for such discussions and decisions are taken in the Cabinet meeting.

"If we go on taking views of individuals then it will not have any meaning. It should be decided in the Cabinet. If we talk outside then it will create confusion," Parameshwara said.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party latched onto Jarkiholi's statement.

BJP state chief B Y Vijayendra said the state government is 'unable to take the burden of 'freebies' as it has no money to do it'.

'In this background, it should not be surprising if the Congress leaders, who have raised objections against the guarantees through the Ministers, not only try to curtail these guarantees, but stop them altogether,' he said in a post on X.

Leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka said these five guarantees were bound to meet "such a fate" as they were introduced by the Congress government without 'guaranteeing financial resources'.

A section of Congress MLAs has said in recent times that because of the guarantees, there is a funds crunch for taking up development works in their constituencies.