Minister KJ George says guarantee scheme money not monthly salary; BJP hits back
Bengaluru, Feb 19 (PTI): Karnataka Energy Minister K J George’s remark that funds from the guarantee schemes are "not like a monthly salary," in response to complaints about delays in payments to beneficiaries has drawn sharp criticism from opposition BJP leaders on Wednesday.
There have been complaints about non-payment of funds to beneficiaries of Anna Bhagya (which provides cash in lieu of the additional 5 kg of rice to every member of a BPL household) and Gruha Lakshmi (which offers Rs 2,000 per month to women heads of families) for the past couple of months in some cases.
Speaking to reporters in Chitradurga on Tuesday, George said, "Money is transferred every month to beneficiaries' bank accounts, but there may have been delays for some. Is there something the Minister should know about it? As soon as we are informed, steps will be taken to rectify it immediately. This is not like a monthly salary. The Chief Minister has assured that all pending payments will be cleared by May, as promised."
He added, "There may be a delay of 10 to 15 days due to various reasons."
Reacting sharply, the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, R Ashoka, questioned the Minister’s attitude toward voters.
"Is this your respect for voters? They are not begging for Gruha Lakshmi and Anna Bhagya funds. People did not ask you to introduce these guarantee schemes," he said.
Criticising the government for allegedly "belittling" voters after launching the schemes for electoral gains, Ashoka added, "If you can implement the guarantee schemes as promised, do so with respect. If not, step down. People were managing their lives before these schemes and will continue to do so without them."
"Do not insult the self-respect of Kannadigas. The Congress party has already lost ground across the country. If the self-respect of Kannadigas is hurt, it is guaranteed that Congress will be wiped out in Karnataka too," he warned.
BJP leader and MLC C T Ravi accused the government of "financial mismanagement", saying the Minister had made it seem as though the word "guarantee" carried a stigma.
"A guarantee means that money should be credited to beneficiaries' accounts as surely as the sun rises every day. But after listening to the Minister, it appears that Congress's guarantee is nothing but a fraud," he claimed.
ಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಸಚಿವ @thekjgeorge ಅವರೇ,
— R. Ashoka (@RAshokaBJP) February 19, 2025
ಗೃಹಲಕ್ಷ್ಮಿ, ಅನ್ನಭಾಗ್ಯ ಹಣ ತಿಂಗಳ ಸಂಬಳ ಅಲ್ವಲ್ಲ ಅಂತ ಹೇಳಿದ್ದೀರಲ್ಲಾ, ಇದೇನಾ ಮತದಾರರಿಗೆ ನೀವು ಕೊಡುವ ಗೌರವ?
ಗೃಹಲಕ್ಷ್ಮಿ ಹಣ ಕೊಡಿ, ಅನ್ನಭಾಗ್ಯದ ಹಣ ಕೊಡಿ ಅಂತ ಮಾತಾದರರೇನು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಬಳಿ ಭಿಕ್ಷೆ ಬೇಡುತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ. ಈ ಗ್ಯಾರೆಂಟಿ ಯೋಜನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಪ್ರಾರಂಭಿಸಿ ಅಂತ ಜನತೆ ಕೇಳಿಯೂ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ.
ನಿಮ್ಮ… pic.twitter.com/GLuxxEmUZS
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Might of Indian military felt in Rawalpindi: Rajnath Singh on Operation Sindoor
New Delhi, May 11 (PTI): Under Operation Sindoor, Indian armed forces not only struck Pakistani military bases near the border but their might was even felt in Rawalpindi where the headquarters of the Pakistani Army is located, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday.
He said the Indian military has punished anti-India forces and terrorists who had wiped off the vermilion of many families through the Pahalgam terror attack.
Speaking virtually at an event in Lucknow to inaugurate a BrahMos production unit, the defence minister said Operation Sindoor is not just a military action, but a symbol of India's political, social and strategic will against terrorism.
Operation Sindoor was launched on early May 7 to destroy nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack. All subsequent retaliations to Pakistani offensives were carried out under Operation Sindoor.
India and Pakistan on Saturday announced reaching an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea, with immediate effect.
Singh said the entire country is "congratulating the Indian military for success of the operation.
"This operation is a demonstration of India's strong will against terrorism and also the capability and determination of the military power," he said.
"We have shown that whenever India takes any action against terrorism, even the land across the border will not be safe for the terrorists and their masters," he said.
Singh said Indian forces launched Operation Sindoor with the aim of destroying the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan.
"We never targeted their civilians. But Pakistan not only targeted civilian areas of India but also tried to attack temples, gurudwaras and churches," he noted.
"The Indian Army has displayed valour and courage as well as restraint and has given a befitting reply by attacking many of Pakistan's military bases," he said.
"We not only took action against the military bases near the border but the threat of Indian forces was felt even in Rawalpindi where the headquarters of the Pakistani army is located," he added.
The defence minister said the whole world saw the consequences of committing and getting terrorist incidents carried out in India.
After the Uri incident, our army entered Pakistan and carried out surgical strikes, after the Pulwama attack, we carried out Balakot air strikes, and now the world is seeing how India entered Pakistan and carried out multiple strikes following the Pahalgam attack, he said.
"Following the policy of zero tolerance against terrorism, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that this is the new India which will take effective action against terrorism on both sides of the border," he said.
