The rough side of victory

Jharkhand finances can be a constraining factor in keeping JMM-Congress electoral pledges, writes YASH KUMAR SINGHAL

- YASH KUMAR SINGHAL

The handsome victory of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, comprising the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the Congress, and others, over the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Jharkhand comes at a price—keeping the promises made in the election manifesto.

The bloc came up with a collective manifesto comprising seven guarantees. They involved freebies and transfer payments.

One of those guarantees included increasing the honorarium under the Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana (MMSY) from the existing ₹1,000 to ₹2,500 per month to eligible women aged 18 to 50. Earlier, the government had reduced the minimum age of women eligible under the scheme from 21 to 18. This also countered the Bharatiya Janata Party's proposed Gogo Didi Yojana, which promised a monthly payment of ₹2,100 to eligible women. Although this move is expected to benefit more than 5 million women, estimates suggest it is going to be costly, draining the state coffers of ₹9,000 crore per year.