On a wing and a prayer

The Jharkhand Assembly elections will see electors cast their vote on November 13 and 20. SHIKHA CHATURVEDI analyses how food inflation, poverty, and promises are playing out in the fiscally-strained state

- SHIKHA CHATURVEDI

The electoral battle in Jharkhand is intensifying as alliances evolve ahead of the Assembly elections. Currently, the coalition of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress governs the state, with Hemant Soren back in the chief minister's seat. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the principal opposition in the state, aims to improve its performance after losing to the JMM-Congress combine in 2019, following a five-year rule from 2014 to 2019. This year, the BJP has allied with the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU).

To attract voters, purse strings are being loosened. The JMM-led government has launched the Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana (MMSY), providing ₹1,000 per month to eligible women aged 21 to 50. Last month, the state Cabinet lowered the minimum age limit to 18. Currently, 4,815,048 women are registered, with 4,536,597 receiving benefits.

The government plans to increase payouts to ₹2,500 per month in December to further enhance this initiative. This increase, aimed at countering the BJP's proposed 'Gogo Didi Yojana' which promises ₹2,100 per month to women, is expected to hit the state exchequer by ₹9,000 crore a year.

However, financing these initiatives poses challenges, as Jharkhand generates only about 30.8 per cent of its revenue receipts from its own tax collections. Additionally, the state's finances are strained by a comprehensive pension scheme that provides universal coverage, lowering the qualifying age for old-age pensions from 60 to 50 years for marginalized groups, including Dalits, Adivasis, and women. The state government supplements central pension amounts, contributing an additional ₹240.4 crore to ensure all eligible individuals receive ₹1,000 a month.