Rahul Gandhi’s poll promise claims are bluff announcement: Arun Jaitley

New Delhi, March 26: 20% poor families already getting the benefits from Prime Minister's schemes, said Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley while criticizing Congress President Rahul Gandhi's promise of a ‘historic’ minimum income guarantee scheme to India's poor.

He further said, the latest announcement of the Congress Party if tested on simple arithmetic, then ₹72, 000 is less than 2/3rd of the existing DBT under Modi government, which averages ₹1. 068 lakh annually. So what is being claimed by the Congress Party is a bluff announcement.

Finance Minister said, “Nehruvian model stagnated growth. Indira Gandhi gave the legendary slogan of ‘Garibi Hatao’ in 1971 & just redistributed poverty. The legacy of poverty in India reflects inefficient governance & economic model of the Congress Party.”

Criticizing opposition minister further said, No political party has betrayed India for more than seven decades other than the Congress Party. It gave people of India slogans & very little resources to implement them. However, the Prime Minister has already given the poor what Congress promises.

While elaborating the government schemes, he said that In the last 5 years, the govt. headed by PM Narendra Modi introduced DBT through banks. Besides subsidies for food, fertilizer, kerosene, 55 Ministries handed over subsidies to the poor through the DBT which was enabled by AADHAAR.

Finance Minister also explained about the wages and salary’s current situation. “Today most industrial workers get more than ₹.12,000/ month. The minimum starting salary in govt. after the 7th CPC is ₹18,000 a month. The landless & poor, amongst the villagers, get an MNREGA payment. Minimum wages for the labour have been raised by 42%.”