Congress promises Rs 2,500 to women per month if voted to power in Delhi
New Delhi, Jan 6: Ahead of the Delhi assembly polls, the Congress on Monday announced 'Pyaari Didi Yojana', promising a monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,500 to women if voted to power in the national capital.
The scheme would be rolled out on the lines of the model adopted by the Congress government in Karnataka.
AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal in December last year announced the launch of the 'Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojna' to give a monthly assistance of Rs 1,000 to women in Delhi, and promised the amount would be raised to Rs 2,100 after the elections.
During a public rally on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured the people of Delhi that no welfare scheme will be discontinued if the BJP forms the government and made a strong appeal to them to get rid of the Kejriwal-led party.
Announcing the scheme, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said it aims to financially empower women, promising that it would be implemented at the first Cabinet meeting of the new government.
"Today, I have come here to launch the Pyaari Didi Yojana. We are confident that a Congress government will be formed in Delhi, and on the first day of the new Cabinet, we will implement the scheme to provide Rs 2,500 to every woman in the capital," Shivakumar said.
"Whatever and wherever Congress has promised in the nation or state level, we have delivered and we are going to deliver," he said.
Within three months after coming to power, all the guarantees were implemented in Karnataka.
Women in the entire state travel free in buses, 10 kg of rice is being given to every household, about Rs 3,000 given to the unemployed youth, 200 unit of electricity, and Rs 2,000 is being to every women. Additionally, 1.22 crore women are getting Rs 2,000 every month, he said.
After implementing the guarantees of Congress in Karnataka, every family there is saving Rs 4,000 to 5,000, which has brought a big change in the lives of crores of people and on the basis of the same success, Congress party will work to bring a change in the lives of people in Delhi too, he said.
While addressing media, Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav said that their tag line would be "Hogi har jarurat puri, Congress hai jaruri" (every need will be fulfilled, Congress is needed).
Yadav claimed that there is an an impostor in Delhi who is continuously working to show people dreams.
It is been 11 years and the condition of Delhi is deteriorating, he said.
"I am happy that we have announced the scheme through Shivakumar. In coming days, we will come with many such schemes which are very important for Delhi," the Congress leader said.
After the formation of the Congress government in Delhi, in the first Cabinet, a decision will be taken to give Rs 2,500 per month to each woman under women empowerment and social welfare for the half of the population of Delhi and this amount will be deposited in their accounts every month, Yadav said.
"We assure the people of Delhi that when Congress party comes to power here, we will implement the Congress schemes with the same faith and determination as we had implemented in Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and earlier in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan," he claimed.
Yadav later concluded his address to media by saying that "Karnataka ne ki hai umeedein puri, Delhi ne kaha hai Congress hai jaruri" (Karnataka has fulfilled all the expectations, Delhi said that Congress is needed).
Elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly are due in February.
Yadav, the party's Delhi in-charge Qazi Nizamuddin, and other senior leaders were present during the announcement.
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PM Modi arrives Oman, exchanges perspectives with Deputy PM on bilateral ties
Muscat (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday interacted with Oman's Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al Said and exchanged perspectives on friendship between the two countries.
Modi, who arrived here on a two-day visit during which he will hold talks with the Gulf nation's top leadership and is expected to sign an ambitious trade deal, said his trip offers an opportunity to explore new avenues of collaboration and add fresh momentum to the bilateral partnership.
He was warmly welcomed by Sayyid Shihab at the airport and was accorded a ceremonial welcome.
"Landed in Muscat, Oman. This is a land of enduring friendship and deep historical connections with India. This visit offers an opportunity to explore new avenues of collaboration and add fresh momentum to our partnership," Modi said in a social media post.
Modi is visiting Oman at the invitation of Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. This is his second visit to the Gulf nation.
"Extremely grateful to HH Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al Said, Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs, for the warm welcome at Muscat airport. We also had a great interaction, exchanging perspectives on India-Oman friendship," Modi said.
Modi's visit is of special significance as it marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The Prime Minister arrived here on the last leg of his three-nation tour. He earlier visited Ethiopia and Jordan.
When Modi arrived at the hotel, he was welcomed by the Indian community members. Local artists presented a traditional Omani performance. Indian artists presented colourful cultural performances, including Rajasthan's Ghoomar, Gujarati song, classical dance and Karnataka's folk dance.
He also witnessed an exhibition depicting 70 years of India-Oman diplomatic relations presented by diaspora at the hotel.
India has said that it is "very optimistic" about finalising an ambitious trade deal with Oman during the visit.
The free trade agreement between India and Oman was approved by the Union Cabinet last Friday.
Talks for the agreement, officially termed as CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement), formally began in November 2023, and the negotiations concluded this year.
"We are all very optimistic about it. The teams from both sides have been working very hard for its early finalisation," Arun Chatterjee, a secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), had said at a media briefing when asked whether the proposed India-Oman comprehensive economic partnership agreement will be inked during Modi's visit.
"We have immense faith that this agreement, if signed during this visit, will significantly deepen the economic ties between India and Oman. And it will open up a new chapter in the history of India-Oman trade and commercial relationship," he said.
During the visit, Modi will also hold discussions with Sultan Tarik on strengthening the Strategic Partnership as well as a strong commercial and economic relationship.
Modi is also scheduled to address a gathering of the Indian diaspora here.
"This visit will be an opportunity for both sides to comprehensively review the bilateral partnership, including in the areas of trade, investment, energy, defence, security, technology, agriculture and culture, as well as exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," the MEA said in an earlier statement.
Oman is the third-largest export destination for India among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. India already has a similar agreement with another GCC member, the UAE, which came into effect in May 2022.
India-Oman bilateral trade was about USD 10.5 billion (exports USD 4 billion and imports USD 6.54 billion) in 2024-25. India's key imports are petroleum products and urea. These account for over 70 per cent of imports. Other key products are propylene and ethylene polymers, pet coke, gypsum, chemicals, iron and steel, and unwrought aluminium.
The main items of India's exports to Oman include mineral fuels, chemicals, precious metals, iron and steel, cereals, ships, boats and floating structures, electrical machinery, boilers, tea, coffee, spices, apparel, and food items.
