Telangana: Congress mulls free internet to students, 10g gold & Rs 1 lakh to women for marriage

In poll-bound Telangana — where, according to the poll watchers, the Indian National Congress has become a force to reckon with — the spirit of welfarism will dominate the poll plank being prepared by the grand old party.

Apart from the six guarantees that the Congress has promised already, it is mulling over a couple of new schemes: providing free internet to students and 10 g of gold to women towards their streedhan.

Quoting the chairman of the manifesto committee, D Sridhar Babu, news agency PTI claimed a scheme promising 10 grams of gold to eligible women at the time of marriage will be included in the manifesto also.

The gold would be in addition to an allocation of Rs 1 lakh each, under the party’s 'Mahalakshmi' guarantee. Neither the Telangana Congress nor the party high command has taken a final decision on it, however, sources have said.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on 15 October announced the BRS manifesto, meanwhile, promising LPG cylinders at Rs 400 each and a rise in social pensions. Rao’s LPG promise follows the Congress’ Mahalakshmi guarantee announced in September, which includes an LPG cylinder price of Rs 500.

Presently the BRS government, under its Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak Schemes, offers one-time financial assistance of Rs 1,00,116 at the time of marriage to brides who are residents of Telangana, who have completed 18 years of age at the time of marriage and whose parental income does not exceed Rs 2 lakh per annum.

On the Congress' part, "one tula (10 g) of gold will be given. This (gold value) comes to about Rs 50,000–55,000," Sridhar Babu reportedly told PTI.

"After coming to power, we will talk to internet service providers and work out modalities," PTI claims that Babu has said.

Reacting to the report, BRS spokesperson Sravan Dasoju said the Congress government in Karnataka is not able to implement their poll promises and they can promise anything under the moon.

"Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, also known as KCR, is a pioneer in bringing out and implementing innovative policies and programmes for the poor which were never imagined by any other political party in independent India," Dasoju said.

Telangana Congress chief A Revanth Reddy, meanwhile, has countered that chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao fully ‘copied’ the Congress’ election manifesto.