It's Raining Freebies in Gujarat Since Himachal Poll Dates Were Declared

New Delhi: Thirteen days after the dates for Himachal Pradesh polls were declared, the Election Commission (EC) is set to announce the dates for Gujarat polls on Wednesday.

The announcement of the dates will kick-in the Model Code of Conduct which will immediately put an end to the series of freebies that the BJP state government has been announcing back to back for the past fortnight.

According to one report, the Gujarat government in the last one fortnight has announced projects and sops worth Rs 11,000 crore since the dates of Himachal Pradesh elections were announced.

Of these, four big schemes and some other benefits have been introduced in the last 24 hours alone, just hours before model code of conduct is expected to be enforced in the state.

Pay hike for Asha workers

The first big announcement was to increase the salary of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers by 50%. The state health workers have been holding strikes and protests demanding fixed pay and permanent employment with pension benefits for the last eight months now. The protesting women even gheraoed and chased away a BJP MLA in Vadodra just a few days ago.

It is through the network of these 40,000 health workers that the state is able to implements the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in the state. ASHA workers presently get Rs 2500 per month. The protesting ASHA workers had met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on October 10 and reportedly told him that if their demands of fixed wages and working hours are not met “we’ll do surgical strike on BJP.”

Waiver of 18 per cent Goods and Service Tax (GST) charged on the purchase of equipment meant for drip or sprinkler irrigation

On Tuesday, the Gujarat government also announced that the 18% GST charged on the purchase of drip irrigation system will be paid by a state government-run Gujarat Green Revolution Company. This will cost the exchequer Rs 78 crore a year and will affect a large section of farmers who had been protesting along with farmers in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur, which turned violent in June this year.

Raising the ceiling on the annual income of beneficiaries from the socially backward classes — SC, ST and OBC — availing various benefits.

“The income ceiling has been raised from Rs 47,000 to Rs 1.20 lakh for those living in rural areas and from Rs 68,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh for urban areas. This raise will enable many more people of these communities to avail government assistance as well as scholarships,” Chief Minister Vijay Rupani declared on Tuesday. Regularisation of jobs of school teachers, appointed on ad-hoc basis, who’ve completed 10 years of service

More sops for government employees

Paid maternity leave of 90 days, Rs 2 lakh compensation to the kin in case of an employee’s death during the contract period, daily allowance of Rs 100 for six hours and Rs 150 for 12 hours for contractual employees who are sent away from their places of posting for government work.

But these were sops that were introduced only on Tuesday.

Here is a list of 10 other big announcements made by the BJP since October 12, when EC announced poll dates for Himachal.

- Projects worth Rs 3,600 to build a smart city in Vadodara.

- Rs 6000 crore Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with United Phosphorous to procure agricultural fertilizers.

- Seventh Pay Commission benefits announced for 15,000 nagar palika employees in the state. Next of kin of those employees who die on duty to get jobs.

- CM Vijay Rupani flagged off 40 buses out of 575 new buses being inducted in the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) and gave appointment letters to conductors.

- Zero-interest crop loans up to Rs 3 lakh for farmers. The move is expected to benefit at least 25 lakh farmers.

- Foundation stone of Aquatic Life Sciences and Robotics Gallery laid in Science City.

- Lion safari park at Ambardi in Amreli district thrown open to visitors, nearly 17 years after the idea was first mooted.

- 22 cases filed against farmers of Nalkantha area withdrawn by Home department.

- 468 cases against Patidars withdrawn. These cases were filed by police during the reservation stir.

- 21 DSPs promoted to the rank of Additional SPs. This is the first time that a new post of Additional SP has been created. Eight of the 21 promoted are Patidars.