India
oi-Oneindia Staff
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal has announced 6 major guarantees for people of Goa, including 300 units of free electricity every month and a waiver of all pending electricity bills. Addressing a massive public meeting in Panaji, he also announced ₹3,000 per month for every woman, free bus travel, ₹10 lakh in health insurance for every family and playgrounds for sports in every village.
The AAP Chief put forth that AAP would prepare local manifestos at the booth level to address problems in every area, from the smallest to the largest. He asserted that the party would fulfil all its guarantees in Goa, as it had in Delhi and Punjab, declaring, “This is Kejriwal’s guarantee, and it never breaks.”
AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal announced six guarantees for Goa: 300 units of free electricity monthly, waiver of pending electricity bills, ₹3,000 per month for every woman, free bus travel for women, ₹10 lakh health insurance for every family, and sports grounds in every village.
Addressing the gathering during his 3-day visit to Goa, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal stated, “Today, Goa is demanding change. The people of Goa are fed up with the politics of both the BJP and the Congress. People vote for the Congress because they do not like the BJP, but after winning, Congress MLAs join the BJP and form a government with the very party people voted against. Therefore, voting for the Congress means forming a BJP government. There is no benefit in doing so. On the other hand, voting for the BJP means corruption, broken roads, water shortages and prolonged power cuts.”
The AAP Chief emphasised, “People living in small houses in Goa are receiving electricity bills ranging from ₹15,000 to ₹1 lakh or even more. Therefore, the people of Goa are looking towards the Aam Aadmi Party with great hope to free themselves from the BJP and the Congress. We are giving Goans six guarantees. We will do many other things apart from these guarantees, but we will certainly deliver on these six commitments. These are ‘Kejriwal’s guarantees’, which never fade away but are implemented on the ground. I fulfilled all the guarantees I made during the elections in Delhi and Punjab, demonstrating their credibility.”
1. 300 Units of Free Electricity
Arvind Kejriwal stated, “People in Goa are receiving extremely high electricity bills. When they approach officials to get the bills corrected, they are told to pay them first and get them corrected afterwards. People cannot afford to pay these bills, while penalties and interest continue to accumulate. Eventually, one day, the electricity supply is disconnected. Electricity has also become very expensive, and people are facing prolonged power cuts.”
He announced that when the Aam Aadmi Party forms the government, all pending electricity bills will be waived. Every household will receive 300 units of free electricity per month, and arrangements will be made to ensure 24-hour power supply.
The AAP National Convenor added, “Our governments in Delhi and Punjab have delivered on the guarantee of free electricity. Anyone can verify this. When we form the government in Goa, we will provide free electricity here as well. The BJP and the Congress do not provide free electricity. Voting for them will not get you free electricity. If you want free electricity, vote for the Aam Aadmi Party. As soon as our government is formed, all old electricity bills will be reduced to zero within a week, and from April onwards, people will receive 300 units of free electricity every month.”
2. Free Bus Travel for Women
Arvind Kejriwal announced, “The second guarantee is free bus travel for women. People from middle-class and poor families travel by bus. We have made bus travel free for women in Delhi and Punjab. Now, women in Punjab do not have to pay for tickets on any bus. If the Aam Aadmi Party forms the government in Goa, bus travel will be made completely free for women here as well.”
3. ₹10 Lakh Health Insurance for Every Family
Announcing the third guarantee, Arvind Kejriwal stated, “If someone falls seriously ill and goes to Goa Medical College (GMC), the condition of treatment there is extremely poor. Doctors do not listen to patients, machines do not work, and patients are given operation dates several months later. If people go to private hospitals, they receive bills running into lakhs of rupees. In contrast, in Punjab, we have provided health insurance worth ₹10 lakh to every family. If anyone in a family falls ill, they can take their insurance card to even the biggest private hospital and receive completely free treatment worth up to ₹10 lakh annually.”
Arvind Kejriwal further asserted, “The Pramod Sawant-led BJP Government in Goa runs the Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana (DDSSY), but it is merely a fake card for which people are charged ₹300. During a booth meeting, a woman told me that someone in her family had undergone an operation at a private hospital that cost ₹2.5 lakh, but the government paid only ₹25,000 under the DDSSY. The patient had to pay the remaining ₹2.25 lakh out of their own pocket. What is the point of such a scheme? In contrast, in Punjab, the government covers the entire cost, including medicines, tests and hospitalisation. The same health insurance policy will be implemented in Goa when the Aam Aadmi Party forms the government here.”
4. ₹3,000 Per Month for Every Woman
Announcing the fourth guarantee, the AAP Chief stated, “The Goa Government’s Griha Aadhar Scheme is so complicated that it comes with countless conditions. If a family owns a house or a vehicle, it becomes ineligible for the benefit, and only one woman per family can receive assistance. As a result, very few women are able to benefit from the scheme.”
He said, “We have implemented this scheme in Punjab, where the mother, wife, sister and daughter in the same family can all benefit from it. The scheme covers everyone, including the rich and the poor, Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Brahmins and Scheduled Castes. Every woman above the age of 18 is eligible for the benefit. When the Aam Aadmi Party forms the government in Goa, ₹3,000 will be deposited every month into the bank account of every woman above the age of 18.”
5. Sports Grounds in Every Village and Ward
Announcing the fifth guarantee, Arvind Kejriwal stated, “Children in Goa have a great interest in sports and represent the state at national and international levels. However, there are no proper grounds for them to play on, and the condition of the grounds that do exist is extremely poor.”
“In Punjab, our government has built excellent sports grounds in every village, with facilities for games such as football, cricket and volleyball. The government also provides all the necessary sports equipment. Following the same model, a sports ground will be developed in every village and every ward in Goa so that young people can play and bring glory to Goa at the national and international levels,” he emphasised.
6. Local Manifestos to Resolve Local Problems
Arvind Kejriwal further stated, “Aam Aadmi Party workers will visit every street and neighbourhood and sit with residents to prepare local manifestos at the ward and booth levels, based on the problems faced by the community. Even the smallest problems in each locality will be documented, and once our candidates become MLAs, they will ensure these issues are resolved. “
He concluded by stating, “Voting for the Congress means it will form a BJP government, while voting for the BJP means that no public work will get done and corruption will prevail. In contrast, voting for the Aam Aadmi Party will bring several benefits, including free electricity, ₹10 lakh in health insurance for every family and free bus travel for women.”
