Congress launches ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ scheme in Karnataka

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi praised the Karnataka government’s new initiative, the ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ scheme, at a public event in Mysuru, highlighting the party’s commitment to fulfilling its pre-election promises. The scheme will offer a monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,000 to about 1.1 crore women who are heads of their households.
At a function attended by thousands, including AICC President M Mallikarjun Kharge, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and his deputy D K Shivakumar, Gandhi stated, “We have kept our word on promises,” and “The work we have done in Karnataka will be replicated across India.”
This scheme, rolled out with considerable fanfare, is a part of Congress’s five pre-election ‘guarantees’ which they had promised to deliver if elected. These promises led to their victory over the BJP in the May Assembly elections. The ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ initiative has been termed as “the world’s largest cash transfer scheme,” by Gandhi.
In addition to ‘Gruha Lakshmi,’ the Karnataka government has already implemented three other guarantees—’Shakti,’ which offers free travel for women in government buses; ‘Gruha Jyothi,’ providing 200 units of free electricity per month; and ‘Anna Bhagya,’ offering 10 kg of rice. A fifth scheme, ‘Yuva Nidhi,’ aims to offer monthly stipends to unemployed graduates and diploma holders and is planned for implementation in December or January.
“The five guarantees of the Congress are not just schemes; they are a governance model,” said Gandhi. He added that the focus on women with four of these schemes signifies deep thinking behind the initiatives, comparing women to the roots of a tree that strengthen the entire structure.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah noted that the government has earmarked Rs 17,500 crore for the ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ programme in the current financial year. Meanwhile, Kharge stated that no other government in India has launched such a comprehensive welfare scheme and that other states are keen to adopt it.
The Congress leaders also took the opportunity to criticise the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, accusing it of working only for the wealthy and neglecting the poor.
With these social welfare schemes, the Congress aims to position itself as a party deeply committed to the welfare of women and the economically disadvantaged, hoping that this model will not only find success in Karnataka but can also be replicated across the nation.