The Karnataka Cabinet meeting on Monday decided to implement all five guarantees announced by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the run-up to the Assembly elections.
The guarantees include:
- Free education up to class 12: The government has decided to make education free for all students up to class 12, irrespective of their income. This will benefit around 10 lakh students in the state.
- Free laptops for students: The government has also decided to provide free laptops to all students who pass class 12. This will benefit around 5 lakh students in the state.
- 30 per cent reservation for women in government jobs: The government has decided to increase the reservation for women in government jobs from 33 per cent to 50 per cent. This will benefit around 2 lakh women in the state.
- Rs 1,000 per month pension for all senior citizens: The government has decided to provide a monthly pension of Rs 1,000 to all senior citizens above the age of 65 years. This will benefit around 20 lakh senior citizens in the state.
- Free housing for all poor families: The government has decided to build free houses for all poor families in the state. This will benefit around 10 lakh families in the state.
The government has said that it will start implementing these guarantees from the next financial year. The total cost of implementing these guarantees is estimated to be around Rs 20,000 crore.
The opposition BJP has criticized the government’s decision to implement these guarantees, saying that it is a populist move and that the government does not have the money to implement them. The BJP has also said that the government should focus on improving the state’s infrastructure and providing basic amenities to the people instead of announcing freebies.
The government has defended its decision, saying that it is committed to providing social justice to all sections of the society. The government has also said that it will raise the necessary funds to implement these guarantees through various means, including increasing taxes and borrowing money.
It remains to be seen whether the government will be able to implement all of these guarantees without burdening the state’s finances.
