Sikkim Assembly Elections 2019: Bhaichung Bhutia Promises Basic Income of Rs 1,500 Per Month Under Sikkimey Samman Yojna

HSP chief and former footballer Bhaichung Bhutia made a promise to the people of Sikkim that, if voted to power, his party would ensure a basic income of Rs 1,500 per person a month in the state.

Bhaichung Bhutia. (Photo credit: File)

Gangtok, March 27: With Congress promising a guaranteed income of Rs 12,000 a month Under it’s ‘Nyay’ programme in the elections season, Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) chief and former footballer Bhaichung Bhutia also made a promise to the people of Sikkim that if voted to power his party would ensure a basic income of Rs 1,500 per person a month in the state.

The announcement comes on Wednesday, ahead of the April 11 polls to both Sikkim’s 32-member Assembly and the lone Lok Sabha seat. Announcing his party’s Sikkimey Samman Yojna (SSY), Bhutia claimed, as The Hindustan Times reports, “What the SDF (Sikkim Democratic Front) government could not do in 25 years, will be done in 25 days.” TMC Manifesto For Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Released by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee; Inquiry Into Demonetisation Among Promises Made. 

Adding more, Bhutia even claimed that the scheme of his party would be launched within 25 days of the new government assuming charge. Also, the payment would commence within 90 days of the launch of the scheme. He also said the amount would be transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries on the first day of every month, adds the daily.

The footballer-turned politician, who tried his luck from Darjeeling in 2014 Lok Sabha Elections on All India Trinamool Congress ticket – is trying to focus on the youth to challenge Sikkim Democratic Front led by five-term Chief Minister Pawan Chamling. With this scheme, Bhutia was trying to gain the votes of youth and had assured them that amount would go up progressively.

The press statement released by the party on Tuesday stated that in the entitlement would include ‘every Sikkimese man, woman, child, student and youth who reside in Sikkim’ and would work out to Rs 18,000 a year per person. However, upper-grade staff and officers of state and central government officers, high earning professionals, MPs and MLAs would be excluded. Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Rahul Gandhi's Minimum Income Plan's Annual Cost Rs 3.6 Lakh Crore; According to Economists. 

Bhutia’s party informed that this scheme might entail an expenditure of about Rs 9 billion per year, considering Sikkim’s projected population of 652,862 in 2019. The statement adds that under SSY, ‘low earning government permanent employees and all ad-hoc employees/scheme workers’ will be the beneficiaries.

Due to this scheme, experts say there would be an addition of around 4.04% of Rs. 222.47 billion to the gross state domestic product of 2017-18 and 12.76% of Rs 70.51 billion budget for the state in 2018-19.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 27, 2019 09:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

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