BJP slams Himachal govt for failure to start monthly allowance for women

Shimla, Sep 7 (IANS) The BJP on Saturday slammed the Himachal Pradesh government for its ‘failure’ to implement the Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi Yojana that was launched during the Assembly polls in 2022 with the promise of providing financial aid to women, calling it a ‘betrayal to the people’.

Karna Nanda, BJP media in-charge, accused the government of repeatedly making bold promises during election campaigns and subsequently failing to deliver them.

“It has become a pattern for the Congress party to promise the moon during elections and then backtrack once they are in power,” Nanda told the media here.

Nanda highlighted that the scheme, which aimed to support women aged between 18 and 60, has received applications from 7,88,784 women in the past 18 months. However, only 28,249 women have actually received the funds so far.

Additionally, 2,384 applications were rejected due to non-compliance with eligibility criteria, and there have been reports of previously disbursed funds being reclaimed.

Under the scheme, there is a provision of a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 for all women aged 18-60 years.

“This scheme has become a source of frustration and disillusionment for women rather than a support mechanism,” Nanda said.

He emphasised that the revised scheme benefits are far from the sweeping promises made during the election campaign, leaving many women feeling cheated.

The Opposition has accused the government of failing to honour its election commitments and misleading voters. They argue that the revised structure of the scheme is a clear indication of the Congress’s failure to deliver on its promises, which has undermined trust and confidence among the beneficiaries.

The cash-strapped government, whose debt liabilities increased to Rs 76,651 crore in 2023, has been facing the worst financial crisis with no budget to pay even salaries for 2.15 lakh employees and 90,000 retired employees.

This month, first time in the state’s history, the salaries were paid on September 5, while the pension will be disbursed on September 10. Employee unions blame the government for acquiring luxuries for ministers and political appointees.

Financial experts blamed financial mismanagement and wasteful expenditure for the deep financial crisis. They blame the ever-swelling wage and pension bills that are pushing the small hill state, which has been banking heavily on borrowings through market loans with an estimated debt of Rs 86,589 crore, besides committed liabilities of over Rs 10,000 crore pertaining to arrears of employees and pensioners, to the wall.

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