Dhule (Maharashtra): Senior Congress leader and former party chief Rahul Gandhi Wednesday announced five 'Mahila Nyay' guarantees, including Rs 1 lakh to poor women, 50 pc quota in government jobs and hostels for women, while addressing a rally as part of 'Mahila Melava' in Dhule in Maharashtra, in his final leg of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.
The five guarantees he announced are:
- Mahalakshmi: Rs one lakh annually to a woman from a poor family.
- Aashi Aabaadi, Poor Haq: Half of all new recruits to Central Government reserved for women.
- Shakti Ka Samman: Central government's contribution to the monthly salary of Asha, Anganwadi and mid-day meal making women will be doubled.
- Adhikar Maitri: Every Panchayat will appoint an Adhikar Maitri who will inform women about their legal rights and help in implementing these rights.
- Savitri Bai Phule Hostel: The Centre will double the number of hostels for working women in the country, with at least one hostel in each district.
Speaking at the event, he criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi of staging a pompous show in Parliament while passing women's reservation, which will take effect after the census that will be done a decade later.
Congress To Implement Reservation Without Survey
"Narendra Modi passed the women's reservation (act) with much fanfare in the Lok Sabha. But then you women were informed that you will be able to enjoy the reservation after the census, that will be carried out after 10 years," he said.
"Soon after the Congress party government comes to power, women will be given reservation without any survey," he promised.
Waive Loans Of Farmers, Labourers, Small Traders
Rahul accused Modi of writing off Rs 16 lakh crore of loans handed out to billionaires, saying it accounted for for 24 years of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) scheme budget.
Rahul said: "Narendra Modi had waived Rs 16 lakh crore to billionaires. One year budget of MNREGA is Rs 65,000 crores. This works out as such Modi has given 24 years of MNREGA money to billionaires." He also insisted the loans of farmers, labourers and small traders should also be waived.
"If their loans can be waived, then the loans of farmers, labourers, small traders should also be waived," he said.
Before Rahul's speech, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in a video statement said the 'Mahalakshmi' guarantee envisages depositing Rs 1 lakh directly in the bank accounts of poor women annually. He added "Aadhi Aabadi Pura Hakk" means 50 per cent quota for women in government jobs.
The Congress' guarantees are "pathar ki lakeer" (set in stone) and not a "jumla", Kharge asserted. The Centre's budgetary share for ASHA and women working in anganwadis and mid-day meal schemes will be doubled, he said.
Kharge also said that 'Adhikar Maitri', or a nodal person, will educate women about their rights and help in the fight for their causes.
Later, addressing a press conference, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said if the grand old party is voted to power, it will bring a constitutional amendment to do away with the 50 per cent cap on reservation.
He said the Scheduled Caste plan and Scheduled Tribe sub-plan introduced by the previous Congress regimes were scrapped by the Narendra Modi government.
"We will bring a law to ensure budgetary share as per the population (of different castes and communities)," he said.
Ramesh added that the 'Adhikar Maitri' in each gram panchayat of the country will ensure 2.5 lakh women in rural areas get employment and will educate women about their rights and fight for their causes.
