Minimum income guarantee scheme will cover over 20 crore poor people: Mir

JKPCC chief G A Mir Tuesday said 'minimum income guarantee scheme' announced by the Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be the biggest direct benefit scheme in the world covering over 25 crore poor people.

In a big poll promise that he described as a "groundbreaking" measure to end poverty, Gandhi Monday said 20 per cent families in poorest of the poor category will be given Rs 72,000 each annually as a minimum income.

Praising Gandhi for his announcement, Mir said over 5 crore families in poor category will be covered with a monthly wages of Rs 6000.

"It will cover poorest 20 per cent of population of the country. The money would be given to a woman head of the family", he said.

The Congress state chief said that if the party comes to power at the Centre, it will pass women reservation bill to empower women in the country.

Mir alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government has continued UPA made social development schemes with change of "names and commas".

"All the social development schemes formulated by the Congress led UPA government have been continued by the Modi led government with change of names, commas and full stop to take their credit," Mir told reporters here.

Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) to provide benefits to households below the poverty line is continuing with the changed name as Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), Mir claimed.

MGNREGA, which is the biggest employment cum development scheme of previous Congress dispensation at the grass root level, could not be scrapped by Modi government but it continued with it till now, he said.

Like it, Congress formulated schemes of Sarva Sikhsha Abhiyan and national health mission are still continuing, he added.