Sop opera on prime time as state polls draw near
WOOING THE VOTER CMs of four pollbound states have announced schemes worth crores NEW DELHI:
Government sops to woo voters are not unusual before elections. This time, the chief ministers of four poll-bound states — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana — have announced hundreds of new schemes, from offers of smartphones with free data to tiffin boxes to free electricity to jobs, with an eye on the polls.
That’s inadditiontoconstruction of new roads and bridges , plans for which have been announced in the last few months.
If implemented, these sops could eat up to 35% of the total revenue expenditure proposed in the budgets of these states for current financial year (see box). Economists say announcing sops without proper planning derails the long-term fiscal management entailed by the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003. But there is no provision in the law which prevents the announcement of sops with an eye voters. In fact, the Election Commission’s model code of conduct prohibits announcements of government schemes only after the elections schedule is announced. “The Election Commission’s jurisdiction starts only after the poll schedule is announced. Nowadays, offering sops starts several months before elections are announced,” said formerCEC SYQuraishi
With voters becoming blasé over traditional power, water and roads promises, parties are getting innovative with promises.
Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje promised to provide subsidised smartphones to 10 million poor people in the state with free data for the first six months. Her counterpart in Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has vowed to give a smartphone to every student who takes admission in a government college.
Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh says his government will give tiffin boxes to all labourers working under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to improve their health. Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao hiked remuneration for educators in religious schools threefold just before deciding to recom- Shivraj Singh Chouhan
INFRASTRUCTURE
Mukhyamantri Jan Kalyan (Sambal) Yojna for benefits like subsidised power, free medical treatment to unorganised sector Electricity to every household and piped drinking water to every village of more than 1,000 people in next three years Vasundhara Raje
AGRICULTURE AGRICULTURE
Bhavantar scheme for protecting farmers from dips in market prices of produce
~1.30 lakh crore to be spent on irrigation projects up to the year 2024
EDUCATION
50% reservation for women on teachers posts in government schools while 33% reservation for women all other govt jobs except forest department Farm loan waiver up to ~50,000 for small and marginal farmers
INFRASTRUCTURE
Toll exemptions on state highways
WELFARE
Interest free loans to carpenters, cobblers, plumbers and Kumhars
Loan waivers of up to ~2 lakh for 20,000 Dalit and tribal entrepreneurs
~1,000 for smart phones to 1 crore poor people in the state
Recruitment of 21,500 sanitation staff mostly to benefit the Dalit community
mend dissolution of the state assembly on September 6.
Farmers, an influential vote bloc, are the biggest target group of sops this election season.
Chouhan has been claiming on the campaign trail that his government has spent ₹35,000 crore for farmers’ welfare this year. Raman Singh
AGRICULTURE
Free electricity to poor families and at subsidised rates to farmers
Special bonus for paddy procurement on MSP
WELFARE
50 lakh smart phones to be distributed 10 lakh labourers to get tiffin boxes
Pay leave of 730 days to mothers till their child attains the age of 18
EDUCATION
Regularisation of jobs for 1.80 lakh teachers
HEALTH
Free pathology and radiology tests at all district hospitals and community healthcare centres
Rao credits himself with India’s first pro-sowing incentive scheme called Rythu Bandhu (friend of farmers). Raje dedicated her budget to farmers with at least a dozen schemes.
Opposition parties term the sops an indication of governance failure. “If the state government K Chandrashekar Rao
AGRICULTURE
Rythu Bandhu, a crop investment support system where a farmer gets up to ~8,000 before the sowing season. It covers around 50 lakh farmers and costs ~5,000 crore Life insurance worth ~5 lakh to farmers till the age of 59
EDUCATION
Hiked remuneration to Imams and Mouzams and salaries of those working in mini-gurukulams by almost three times
has done so well, why is the chief minister (Vasundhara Raje) making so many announcements knowing well she cannot implement them?” asked Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot.
A 24-year-old man was killed and nearly a dozen others were injured Saturday as the security forces in Kashmir opened fire on protesters after an encounter with militants in Kulgam district in which five members of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen were killed, police said.
An officer said groups clashed with the forces that were engaged in “counter-militancy operation” at the Chowgam area of Qazigund in Kulgam. He said security forces had to use tear gas shells, pellets and open fire to quell the protests.
Over 10 people were injured and were taken to the district hospital in Anantnag, the officer said, adding that out of those injured, six, including four with pellet injuries in the eyes, were referred to a hospital in Srinagar, but one Rouf Ahmad, a resident of Anchidora in Anantnag, succumbed to his injuries on the way near Sangam.
Following the killing of militants, shutdown was observed in both districts, and internet services were suspended while rail service between Srinagar and Banihal was also halted.
Army spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia identified the five militants as Gulzar Ahmad Padder, Faisal Ahmad Rather, Zahid Ahmad Mir, Masroor Molvi, and Zahoor Ahmad Lone.
Since Tuesday, forces have killed nine militants in Kashmir and three in Jammu region. The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), an alliance of separatist leaders of Kashmir, has called for a shutdown on Monday against the killing of the civilian.
Meanwhile, an army personnel was injured as Pakistani troops opened fire along the Line of Control in Jammu’s Rajouri district on Saturday, a defence spokesperson said. The injured personnel was taken to the Command Hospital at Udhampur, he said, adding that his condition was said to be stable.
SRINAGAR: SINCE TUESDAY, FORCES HAVE KILLED NINE MILITANTS IN KASHMIR AND THREE IN JAMMU REGION IN FOUR SEPARATE OPERATIONS