Karnataka Assembly polls 2013: Yeddyurappa offers big sops for women, farmers, minority voters

Monthly pension of Rs 500 for all farmers over 65 years and loan at 1% for women, is among the sops on offer in manifesto of ex-Karnataka CM BS Yeddyurappa`s newly-formed Karnataka Janata Party (KJP).

Zeenews Bureau

Bengaluru: A monthly pension of Rs 500 for all farmers over 65 years and loan at 1% for women, is among the sops on offer in the manifesto of ex-Karnataka CM BS Yeddyurappa`s newly-formed Karnataka Janata Party (KJP). Apart from offering a waiver of loans of up to Rs one lakh for farmers, weavers and fishermen, BSY has gone the whole hog in terms of placating religious vote-banks in the state. After allocating Rs 2,000 crore for Muslims, his party manifesto also promises to provide basic amenities and self-employment opportunities for them. Christians would get a budget allocation of Rs 250 crore in the budget for their development. A law would be enacted for protection of women, with non-bailable cases booked against the culprits, the manifesto released here recently said. “Potable drinking water will be supplied and toilets built in all villages of the state. All pending irrigation projects will be completed within five years. 5,000 MW will be generated to completely remove power shortage and help agriculture and industrial sector,” Yeddyurappa said at the launch of his party manifesto here. KJP has also proposed to extend ‘Bhagyalakshmi’ (insurance for a girl child) and ‘Sandhya Suraksha’ (pension) schemes to middle-class families. Besides, a capital investment of Rs 1 lakh each would be given to the 1.75 lakh self help women groups besides providing them with training and work sheds to produce different varieties of products. A capital investment of Rs 1 lakh each would be given to the 1.75 lakh self help women groups besides providing them necessary training and work sheds to produce different varieties of useful products. The government will also take responsibility of marketing materials produced by them. A women cooperative bank would be established involving all these self-help groups and women engaged in self-employment. The government will release Rs 2,000 crore to this bank and loan at the rate of one per cent interest would be advanced to women. Yeddyurappa’s stronghold in Karnataka is the Lingayat community from which he hails. But this being his party KJP’s debut election, he has tried to address every major requirement of farmers, women and minorities in his party’s manifesto. It only remains to be seen what effect his promises have on the Karnataka voter.