Panchayat Raj Minister Seethakka today condemned the remarks made by former minister Harish Rao, who alleged that the Congress government had discontinued the distribution of sarees to women for the Bathukamma festival.
In a press release, Seethakka said that the Congress government was offering greater financial benefits to women, surpassing the previous practice of distributing Bathukamma sarees.
"The former government's expenditure on Bathukamma sarees was only Rs 300 crore per year. However, the Congress government is now providing free transportation for women. As of October 16, women in Telangana have made 98.5 crore free journeys, amounting to Rs 3,325 crore," she said.
"On average, women are saving Rs 332 crore per month by utilizing free bus services. Our government is spending ten times more on free bus travel than the previous government spent on Bathukamma sarees," she added.
filed in:Telangana, Seethakka, T Harish Rao, Bathukamma