Odisha: Congress will waive off loans of women SGH, provide LPG cylinders at Rs 500
By Sukant Mohanty
Bhubaneswar, March 30: Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Friday said it will waive off bank loans of women self-help groups (SHGs) and provide LPG cylinders at Rs 500 if the party is voted to power.
“If the Congress is voted to power, we will waive off the bank loans of women members of the self-help groups (SHGs) as per the party’s Nari Nyay Guarantee. Similarly, under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, Rs 2,000 will be provided to women who are the heads of their households. Widow and Old Age pension will be hiked to Rs 2000,” declared Odisha Pradesh Mahila Congress president Meenakshi Bahinipati in Bhubaneswar.
Bahinipati was appointed as the president of Odisha Pradesh Mahila Congress in January this year. She has been trying to galvanise the party by organizing protests on various issues.
Though the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have announced their first phase lists of candidates, the Congress is yet to come out with the names of nominees. The party had earlier declared that it would release the first phase list on March 1.
Sources in the OPCC said the party is keeping a close eye on the potential BJP and BJD leaders who are unlikely to get tickets and may revolt against their respective parties. “Some of the potential BJD and BJP candidates are in touch with us. If they do not make a cut into the lists of candidates, they will turn to us…we are watching the development,” said a Congress insider.
The BJP has announced candidates for 18 Lok Sabha seats. The BJD has already released the names of 15 Lok Sabha and 72 assembly candidates in Odisha.
