Cong's surgical strike on poverty: Rahul Gandhi on promised minimum income for poor, says Rajan consulted

Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said the minimum guaranteed income promised by the Congress to the poorest of poor is a "surgical strike on poverty" for which former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan was also consulted even as the party maintained it is not a "top-up scheme".

The Congress also announced that women from poor families will get Rs 72,000 per year directly in their bank accounts as part of the party's income supplementing scheme and asked whether the BJP was opposed to the idea. The proposal is not a work-oriented scheme,it said.

According to Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, the party has already worked out the finances for the 'Nyunatam Aay Yojana' (Nyay) that will entail a total expenditure of Rs 3.6 lakh crore. The scheme was unveiled by Rahul Gandhi, the Congress president, on Monday
"Nobody should be poor in the country in 21st century,"
On helping the poor, he said, "We thought how it should be done. After discussion and brainstorming, we thought that there should be a minimum income line of Rs.12,000 per month. Soon after formation of the Congress government in 2019, the minimum income line in India will be Rs 12,000 per month."