May 15th 2024.
As the highly charged political campaign between the BJP and the INDIA bloc heats up, the topic of free ration for the country's 80 crore citizens has emerged as a major factor in wooing new voters. At a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge announced that the INDIA bloc plans to provide 10kg of free ration to the people, in contrast to the NDA's promise of 5 kg.
Kharge took a dig at the Modi government's claims of providing for the poor by stating that the Congress-led UPA government had already implemented this scheme under the Food Security Act. He also pointed out that states like Karnataka and Telangana, where Congress is in power, have successfully implemented the same.
Interestingly, the Congress manifesto for the upcoming 2024 elections did not mention free ration as a promise. However, it has now suddenly become a focal point after the conclusion of the fourth phase of elections. The main focus of their manifesto was on empowering women with a yearly assistance of Rs 1 lakh and providing apprenticeships to unemployed youth, with a maximum assistance of Rs 1 lakh.
It is worth noting that this announcement by the Congress President comes just a day after Home Minister Amit Shah's statement claiming that the BJP has already secured 270 seats and the remaining three phases of elections will only add to their numbers. The free ration scheme, which was initiated during the Covid pandemic to support the poor and needy, has continued since then. In fact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to continue this scheme for another five years in his third term.
According to estimates, this scheme costs the government around Rs 2 lakh crore annually. If the Congress comes to power and implements their plan of providing 10kg of free ration, the budget will increase significantly, adding an additional expense of Rs 4 lakh crore per year. This, along with their other promises such as financial aid for women and the unemployed, has already raised concerns among experts, who are questioning the feasibility of such proposals. Adding free ration to the list of promises will only further burden the taxpayers.
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