KCR To Hike Pensions To Rs 2,016; Offer Rs 3,016 Unemploymen

Announcing a partial manifesto today of his party, TRS supremo and caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao today took on the Congress by announcing a hike in old age pensions to Rs 2,016 and an unemployment allowance for the youth of Rs 3,016.

The same amount (Rs 3,016) will also be paid to physically challenged persons as monthly pension, he said. Physically challenged persons currently get a pension of Rs 1,500.

KCR also said that the age limit for old age pensions would be brought down to 57 years from the existing 60 years, and that some eight lakh new pensioners would benefit from the reduction in the age limit.

Taking recourse again to an old tool, he also declared that 2.6 lakh double bedroom houses would be constructed for the poor, and added that people who had lands of their own would be given funds for the construction of 2 BHK houses.

KCR also announced a Rs 1 lakh loan waiver for the farmers if the TRS returned to power, and said that the Rythu Samanvaya Samithis which were set up to get the agriculture sector organised and earn better profits would be made into vibrant bodies and the members would be paid honorarium.

The TRS boss also said that SCs & STs would get special schemes like Rs 10,000 per acre towards crop investment, and that special schemes for the poor in upper castes would be implemented.

He also promised corporations for Reddys and Arya Vysyas with sufficient corpus funds.

The CM then talked up the contributions of his government so far, and predictably accused the Congress leaders of making false promises to woo the people for their votes.

Some of these promises will take the sting out of the Congress-TDP-CPI-TJS alliance's fight.