Hyderabad (PTI): Women in Telangana can benefit up to Rs 4,000 if Congress is voted to power in the November 30 assembly polls, by way of social pension, savings on LPG cylinder and free travel in government buses, AICC former chief Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday.

Addressing a women gathering at Ambatipalli village near Medigadda (Laxmi) barrage of Kaleshwaram project, he also said the Congress has decided to "give back" all the money allegedly "looted" by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

"Telangana women were the most affected by the loot of the chief minister here. The Congress party has decided to deposit the amount looted by the chief minister in your bank accounts," Rahul said.

He said, as the first step, every month, Rs 2,500 will be deposited as social pension into women's bank accounts. Also, Rs 1,500 will be saved as the Congress, if voted to power, will supply a LPG cylinder, which is now costing Rs 1,000, at Rs 500 and another Rs 1,000 by way of free travel on government buses.

"With all these you will benefit Rs 4,000 every month. This is called Parajala sarkar (people's government)," he said.

Alleging that Rs 1 lakh crore was looted in Telangana, the Gandhi scion said the BRS, BJP and MIM are contesting on one side in the upcoming polls even as the fight is between Congress and the KCR-led party.

"MIM and BJP are supporting BRS. So you will have to support Congress fully to remove Dorala sarkar (feudal regime) and establish Parajala sarkar (people's regime)," he said.

Alleging that the Kaleshwaram Project has become like an "ATM" for KCR for making money, Rahul said in order to run this machine, all the families in Telangana would have to "shell out Rs 31,500 per annum till 2040".

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Masyaf (Syria), Sep 9: The number of people killed in overnight Israeli strikes in Syria has risen to 18 with dozens more wounded, Syria's health minister said on Monday — the largest death toll in such an attack since the beginning of the war in Gaza.

One of the sites targeted was a research centre used in the development of weapons, a war monitor said. Syrian officials said civilian sites were targeted.

Israel regularly targets military sites in Syria linked to Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Those strikes have become more frequent as Hezbollah has exchanged fire with Israeli forces for the past 11 months against the backdrop of Israel's war against Hamas — a Hezbollah ally — in Gaza.

However, the intensity and death toll of Sunday night's strikes were unusual.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years, but it rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations. The strikes often target Syrian forces or Iranian-backed groups.

Israel has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment in Syria, particularly since Syria is a key route for Iran to send weapons to Hezbollah.

Israeli strikes hit several areas in central Syria, damaging a highway in Hama province and sparking fires, Syrian state news agency SANA said.

Speaking to reporters, Syrian Health Minister Hassan al-Ghabbash described the strikes as a “brutal and barbaric aggression”. He said the death toll had risen to 18 with nearly 40 wounded.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said 25 were killed, including at least five civilians, while the others included Syrian army soldiers and members of Hezbollah and other Iran-linked armed groups.

One strike targeted a scientific research centre in Masyaf, and others struck sites where “Iranian militias and experts are stationed to develop weapons in Syria”, the observatory said. It said the research centre was reportedly used for developing weapons, including short- and medium-range precision missiles and drones.

Minister of Electricity Mohammad al-Zamel said the strikes had caused “truly significant” damage to water and electricity infrastructure.

“This brutal attack targeted civilian targets, and the martyrs were mostly civilians, as were the wounded,” he said.

Local media also reported strikes around the coastal city of Tartous, which the observatory said were the result of air defense missiles falling.

On Monday afternoon, a charred car remained at the scene of one strike and smoke was still rising from some spots where fires had been put out.