Navjot Singh Sidhu woos women with cash incentive, free LPG cylinders

Tribune News Service

Barnala, January 3

Pradesh Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday announced Rs 2,000 per month and free eight gas cylinders per year to homemakers in Punjab, besides interest-free loans up to Rs 2 lakh for starting business.

He was speaking at a rally in Sehna in Barnala district. Significantly, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal had at a rally in Moga in November promised to give Rs 1,000 per month to women aged above 18 years, if AAP was voted to power.

Under Punjab model

• Rs2,000 per month and eight gas cylinders every year free of cost for all homemakers
• Interest-free loans up to Rs2,00,000 to motivate girls to start business
• Cash incentive for girls students
• Education loans up to Rs2,00,000 for girl students up to PhD level
• A women commando battalion to be created

Sidhu announced an incentive of Rs 5,000 for girls after Class V, Rs 10,000 after Class VIII, Rs 15,000 after clearing Class X and Rs 20,000 after Class XII. For college-going girls, he announced computers and Scooty and loans

up to Rs 2,00,000 till the doctorate level.

“Law provides equal rights to women in property. However, its implementation has been poor. Under the ‘Punjab Model’, women will be given the right to property with zero charges on registration of property,” Sidhu said. Announcing a women commando battalion, he said women from each district would be picked for training with the Punjab Police.

In an apparent dig at AAP, Sidhu said: “Giving women freebies will not empower them.” Sidhu also announced that there would be a special provision for education loans up to Rs 2,00,000 for girl students up to PhD level. Sidhu also announced that they would create a women commando battalion to protect other women. A selected group of women in every district would be trained with the Punjab Police.

“Giving women freebies like AAP will not empower them. We want to make our women skilled and will lay a special emphasis on it,” said Sidhu.

NHM Employees Union leader Kamaljit Kaur Patti said all claims of women empowerment were only on paper.

“Lakhs of daughters of Punjab are being dragged on roads by the police to make way for the vehicles of Sidhu and other Congressmen. But on stages, these leaders become the champion of women rights. All know their reality very well,” she said.

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