New Delhi, December 16: In a statement smacking of utter disregard for the poor, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said on Saturday that Rs 600 per month is enough for a family of five to sustain itself. "In Rs 600, he would get dal, rice and wheat. A family of five can easily complete their needs," Dikshit said while launching the UPA's new food security scheme Dilli Annashree Yojna.
Under the programme, Rs 600 per month would be transferred directly to the Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of the senior-most women member of poor families. Dikshit's statement has left the Opposition aghast.
BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, "Hundred years back, people may be able to meet their needs in 600. But, in the present age when you don't even get a single meal in Rs 600, the Congress is insulting the poor by launching such schemes."
Dikshit was accompanied by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi at the inauguration ceremony. This is not the first time Congress leaders have made bizarre comments that reflect utter lack of knowledge about the living conditions of the poor.
Last year, it was Planning Commission Deputy Chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia who claimed that a person can meet expenditure of 'food, health and education' with a sum of Rs 32 per day in the cities and Rs 26 in the villages. The comment sparked widespread disbelief and condemnation forcing the Congress party to go into damage control. Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi too was reportedly unhappy with these figures.
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