There is jubilation in the BJP as the number of new bank accounts under the Jan Dhan Yojana surge within days of the scheme's launch.
The party's cadre had started doing the ground work to identify beneficiaries for the inclusive growth scheme nearly a fortnight ahead of its launch on August 28. The government had roped in the party rank and file to reach out to the beneficiaries for the Rs 1 lakh insurance, free debit card and Rs 30,000 mediclaim, to create awareness about the scheme, a key requirement for its success. This was being done in BJP- and Opposition-ruled states, said a party leader, in synch with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's idea of government-party coordination.
"It is a collective effort in which the party and government will be involved. The cadre has been going to juggi-jhopdis to identify those who should benefit from the scheme and tell them about their entitlements," BJP national secretary Shyam Jaju told dna.
BJP leaders refuse to draw parallels with the Congress's MNREGA scheme. "The Jan Dhan yojana covers rural and urban areas. This is in line with government's thinking reflected in the Union budget on bringing about financial inclusion," party spokesperson Nalin Kohli said.
The Prime Minister first announced the scheme on August 15. On Saturday, two days after its launch, finance minister Arun Jaitley said that 2.14 crore new accounts had already been opened under the scheme. The Centre has set a target of covering 15 crore bank accounts under the scheme by 2015.
While the party does the spade work for the scheme, in states where elections are due, their effort will help in forming a database, party sources said.
Meanwhile, BSP chief Mayawati said the poor needed direct monetary benefit. "Merely opening bank accounts for the poor will not serve much purpose, and not provide any monetary benefit to the poor. They will also not get the Rs 1 lakh of insurance money easily," Mayawati told reporters in Lucknow.
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