Amaravati, March 8 (IANS): The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jana Sena Party (JSP), on International Women's Day, promised that if voted to power, they will implement the 'Kalalaku Rekkalu' scheme aimed at opening avenues of professional education for daughters and generate more employment for women across Andhra Pradesh.
The TDP-JSP combine on Friday announced that any woman who has completed Class 12 can register for the scheme, "which will ensure that no daughter has to compromise on her dreams due to financial constraints".
Women registered under the scheme will have the state government as their loan's guarantor. The government will also bear the entire loan interest. All eligible women can pursue any professional course of their choice anywhere in the country.
TDP President and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s wife Nara Bhuvaneswari unveiled the scheme at Pattikonda to help women achieve their dreams of pursuing professional courses.
She urged first-time voters to elect a good leader who can be fair in creating employment and fostering development.
She said the TDP-JSP government will act as the guarantor for women obtaining loans from banks, and the government will also bear the entire loan interest for the duration of the course.
She stated that her ongoing yatra 'Nijam Gelvali' is a call for 'Dharma Yudh' to restore democracy in the state.
Nara Bhuvaneswari also expressed concern over the erosion of moral values and emphasised that the current government in Andhra Pradesh has restricted fundamental freedoms, such as human rights and freedom of speech.
Criticising Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for using his position for personal gain, she urged voters to put an end to this regime.
At another programme, TDP General Secretary Nara Lokesh shared that during his Yuvagalam padayatra, he met several women who expressed their desire to pursue professional and other courses.
Extending his wishes to women across the state on the occasion of Women's Day, he affirmed that the TDP will support women and encourage them to pursue education and success. He criticised Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for deceiving women and questioned how he could deliver justice to the people of the state when he failed to do so for his own family members.
Referring to Jagan Reddy's unfulfilled promises such as a complete ban on liquor, pension for SC, ST, BC, and minority women above the age of 45, and Amma Vodi for all children in a household, Nara Lokesh recalled that Chandrababu Naidu initiated several schemes for women's development and empowerment.
He said that the TDP and the JSP together launched the Super 6 schemes to alleviate poverty through women. He also mentioned that Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan announced the backward class declaration for the welfare of backward classes in the state.
Nara Lokesh promised to implement pensions for backward classes from the age of 50 and allocate Rs 1.5 lakh crore over five years through the BC sub-plan. Additionally, he pledged to allocate Rs 10,000 crore over five years for self-employment and provide advanced tools to the backward classes through the Adharana scheme, with an expenditure of Rs 5,000 crore.