Congress 6 guarantees will benefit over 85% of Old City residents: Sameer

Hyderabad: Hyderabad District Congress Committee (DCC) president Sameer Waliullah said that the six guarantees unveiled by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for the coming Telangana Assembly elections will benefit over 85 per cent of residents of the Old City of Hyderabad.

Sameer Waliullah, in a media statement on Tuesday, said that the six guarantees — Mahalakshmi, Rythu Bharosa, Gruha Jyothi, Indiramma Indlu, Yuva Vikasam, and Cheyutha — would directly benefit lakhs of poor families in the Old City. Sonia Gandhi announced the guarantees during the party’s mega meeting at Thukkuguda in Rangareddy on September 17.

Elaborating on how the six guarantees would benefit the Old City residents, the Hyderabad DCC president said that the Mahalakshmi scheme promises women Rs 2,500 monthly, LPG at Rs 500, and free RTC bus travel. “This will counter inflation which reached its peak under the BJP and BRS governments in Telangana,” he said.

Similarly, the Rythu Bharosa guarantee offers farmers Rs 15,000 annually, agricultural workers Rs 12,000 plus a Rs 500 paddy bonus. This would reduce the food and vegetable prices, which will in turn reduce the daily expenses of the poor and middle classes, he said.

The Gruha Jyothi guarantee provides 200 units of free electricity to Telangana households, cutting power costs. Almost all households in the Old City will benefit from this, Sameer said. Further, the Indiramma Indlu scheme promises land and Rs 5 lakhs for the homeless. With a majority of Old City residents living in rented homes, this scheme would change their lives permanently, he said.

Sameer Wailullah said that under the Yuva Vikasam scheme, students, including those residing in the Old City, would get Vidya Bharosa Cards worth Rs 5 lakhs. He also said that he would make efforts for the construction of an international school in the Old City. The Cheyutha guarantee ensures a Rs 4,000 monthly pension for the needy, and Rajiv Aarogyasri covers treatments up to Rs 10 lakhs.

The Congress leader said that the party has already begun the distribution of six guarantee cards among the residents of the Old City. He said that the party got a tremendous response from the public when All India Congress Committee (AICC) Mahila Congress chief Netta D’Souza, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Mahila President Sunitha Rao, and other leaders conducted a door-to-door padayatra in the Charminar constituency to distribute the guarantee cards on Monday.

He said that their campaign went on till late evening and they got an overwhelming response from the people, especially women who were happy to learn that they would get Rs 2,500 monthly and the LPG cylinder for Rs 500.

Sameer Waliullah said that the Congress party will soon unveil its declaration for the Old City, which will reach all households in all Assembly constituencies in Hyderabad.