Karnataka women and child development minister Laxmi Hebbalkar said there is no dearth of funds and the Congress government in the state is committed to empowering women under the Rs 30,000-crore ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ scheme, which was promised as one of the party’s ‘guarantees’ during the assembly elections.
In an interview to News18, the minister said it is important to build toilets in households keeping in mind the safety and hygiene of women. She said women should stress on the fact that they will marry into another home only if there is a toilet available. Excerpts:
You have just completed your target of registering 1.3 crore women under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme. Was it challenging?
Of course, Gruha Lakshmi is a scheme that will cost more than Rs 30,000 crore per annum. It is a massive challenge and a big responsibility for me. I can say with confidence that, for the first time in Indian history, Rs 30,000 crore is being set aside for women. I am lucky that chief minister Siddaramaiah, deputy CM DK Shivakumar and high command have given such an important portfolio to me. There were challenges and, with the guidance of officers, while creating the software and uploading documents, we sorted it out.
How was the verification done? Were there specific checks and balances to ensure there will be no leakage or misuse of funds as you are doling out Rs 24,000 per year?
It is such a scheme that there will be no difficulty during registration. A woman only has to submit her Aadhaar card, husband’s Aadhaar card as well her APL (above poverty line) or BPL (below poverty line) or Antyodaya card. In case she does not have an Aadhaar-linked bank account, she can submit her new bank account number or passbook. We have made it simple and easy. Once they have uploaded the documents, they will immediately get the order copy, not a receipt, which shows that they are now a registered beneficiary from the following month.
It is said when money is given to the woman of the house, they tend to save it and put it to good use. Is that where you expect the scheme to succeed as well?
Not just that; we have seen how inflation has impacted us. The CM, deputy CM and the Congress had promised the people of Karnataka that they will give them benefits through Gruha Jyothi, Anna Bhagya, Shakti, and the biggest scheme being Gruha Lakshmi. These four schemes have women as the central point as the idea is to strengthen her financially and take care of her health. So, with Rs 24,000 per year for a woman in a family, we can empower her to stand on her own feet.
Does the government have the money to dole out such schemes?
Definitely, yes. As our CM has announced in the budget in the next eight months, he has allocated Rs 17,800 crore for this scheme. There is no scarcity of funds or shortage of money.
How do you react to the BJP saying there is no money for such schemes, and that money will be diverted from MLA or SC/ST funds?
The BJP is politicising the issue and they have no subject to talk about. When they were in power, they made so many promises but how many did they actually deliver on? This is our third month in power and see how much we have achieved. We deliver on what we promised. They are jealous of us.
Another issue in Karnataka that has been in the headlines is the Udupi video filming in the toilet case. Voyeurism is unacceptable. This is a rare case where a woman is found to have allegedly videographed another woman. What action can we expect from the government if the accused are found to be guilty?
The CID is already investigating the case. Whoever it may be, we are impartial and will be transparent in our probe. I will not comment on if they are guilty or not, let the investigation conclude. Be it a boy or a girl, it is immaterial to us. Our interest is to safeguard the other person’s dignity. Let the truth come out and we will take appropriate action.
The schemes that the Congress promised as part of its election strategy, do you think the newly formed opposition platform INDIA will try and emulate these guarantees as part of the 2024 Lok Sabha campaign?
From the beginning, the Congress has kept its focus on women empowerment. These guarantees are not about promises during elections, but history is also witness to the fact that our leaders have always thought of empowering women. Whether this will be part of INDIA’s campaign, our seniors will take a call.
Union minister Smriti Irani said almost 2.75 lakh children have gone missing in the last five years while nearly 2.5 lakh have been found. Karnataka has the third highest number of missing children. How do you respond?
This data is an accumulation of five years right? As a woman and child minister, I am shocked to hear this. If I hear that more than 27,000 children have gone missing in my state, it is shocking news. I would like to say that the moment a missing complaint is registered with NGOs or the department, officials help parents file it at the nearest police station. Having said this, regarding the statement by the union minister on missing children, I would like to tell her that for the last five years, the BJP has been in power in Karnataka. The Congress will ensure that koi baccha aur maa-baap na bichde, yeh hum khyaal rakhenge (we will take special care that children are not separated from their parents).
What is the status of building toilets for women in the state? Though Karnataka has been awarded for building toilets effectively, things seemed to have been on a standstill of late.
This comes under the RDR (rural development and panchayat raj) department. From 2004 to 2014, when the UPA government was in power, this scheme was introduced. In the (Narendra) Modi-led government, this also comes under the Swachh Bharat campaign. We are trying to educate our gram panchayats and villages on the need for building toilets. I have worked at the grassroots level so I am aware of how this needs to be impressed upon. I don’t think Karnataka has an issue when it comes to this. I would go one step ahead and say women should emphasise that they will get married into another home only if there is a toilet available.
We saw an emotional speech by Rahul Gandhi on Manipur. He said ‘Bharat Mata ki hatya hui hai…’. How do you react to his statement?
This statement has touched my heart as well. What is wrong with what he said? We Indians, when we were in school, were taught to say ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’, ‘Vande Mataram’. We refer to ‘Bharat’ as mata (mother), not pita (father). We all felt that our mother and motherland are equally important. What happened in Manipur has not just affected the state or the women there. It affects us all. I feel he spoke from his heart and it reflected in reality.