PANAJI
The Aam Aadmi Party is pulling out all stops, including plans of unveiling populist schemes, in its bid to woo the electorate during the forthcoming Assembly polls.
But the party’s promise to double allowances under various social sector schemes will almost double the State’s annual spending under the current flagship schemes from the current Rs 626 crore to Rs 1,182 crore.
While the party has justified the hike saying that its government will have much more money to spend by eliminating corruption and smoothening government processes, its task is likely to be complicated by the fact that the party also promised to do away with casinos which help earn a revenue of Rs 150 crore a year.
Last week, AAP’s Goa CM candidate, Elvis Gomes had promised that the allowances under the flagship schemes would be enhanced.
According to Gomes, the Dayanand Social Security Scheme which offers senior citizens and other dependents Rs 2,000 a month for subsistence will be hiked to Rs 3,000 per month, the Laadli Laxmi scheme which offers a girl child Rs 1 lakh either on completing the age of 18 to be used for her education, business or marriage, will be doubled to Rs 2 lakh, and the Griha Adhaar scheme in which low income housewives can avail of Rs 1,500 per month would be doubled to Rs 3,000 per month.
In his Budget speech earlier this year, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar announced that he had reserved an outlay of Rs 626 crore which will be spent only on the Deen Dayal Social Security Scheme, Griha Aadhar Scheme and Laadli Laxmi of the government as part of an overall Rs 934.45 crore under the social sector spending.
Current budgetary allocations for the DSSS scheme is Rs 380 crore which will go up to Rs 570 crore if the monthly amount is hiked to Rs 3,000. The current allocation of Rs 126 crore for the Laadli Laxmi scheme will double to Rs 252 crore and the Rs 180 crore for the Griha Aadhaar scheme will also double to Rs 360 crore.
This is not considering the fact that the number of beneficiaries is likely to increase, besides the AAP also promising a Rs 5,000 unemployment allowance for youths without jobs, something promised by the BJP but not implemented, an allowance of Rs 3,500 for HIV/AIDS patients, and pensions for persons of varying disabilities.
“We believe that the funds are already there and that we can saves hundreds of crores of rupees by eliminating corruption and smoothening government processes,” AAP’s Panaji candidate, Valmiki Naik said. He said that the party will of course generate new sources of revenue, but for this spending, there is sufficient funds.
“Schemes are a small part of government expenditure. If we exercise restraint in other government spending and reduce corruption, the money is there,” he added.
Gomes too pointed to Delhi where the party had promised free water and electricity, with similar questions being raised then.
"In Delhi as well, people questioned our approach when we announced 20,000 litres of water to every household free of cost. Today, the Delhi Jal Board has made a profit of Rs 178 crore. We will plug the leaks in the system and introduce better monitoring of the schemes so that the benefit reaches the poor," Gomes had claimed.
In the previous years, the amount allocated has gone up from Rs 244 crore in 2012-13, to Rs 281 crore in 2013-14 and Rs 290 crore in the year 2014-15. The actual amount spent was also similar to the allocated amount. For the current fiscal, the government has allocated Rs 266.50 crore and till July had spent Rs 83.56 crore.
As on date, under the DSSS scheme the government has been spending over Rs 250 crore each year, with the high point being the Rs 328.24 crore allocated in the years 2015-16 and spending of Rs 328.22 crore being spent.
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MONEY MATTERS
- AAP's promise to double allowances under various social sector schemes will almost double the State’s annual spending from Rs 626 cr to Rs 1,182 cr
- If monthly amount under DSSS is hiked to Rs 3,000, the allocation will go up to Rs 570 cr from the current Rs 380 cr,
- Under the Laadli Laxmi scheme, the spending will double to Rs 252 crore from Rs 126 crore, while under Griha Aadhaar scheme, the allocation will also double to Rs 360 crore from the present Rs 180 crore
