Thousands of women gathered at the General Post Office (GPO) in Bengaluru on Thursday, to open India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) accounts hoping that Rs 8,000 would be credited to their accounts.
As part of the election campaign, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has reiterated the promise of depositing Rs.8,000 per family's woman head, if voted to power. His rendition of the scheme as 'Taka-Tak, Taka-Tak' has caught the attention of many women in Karnataka, which is seeing women queueing up before post offices to open the accounts to benefit from DBT services.
However, the Postal Department faced a significant challenge in dispelling the misconception that the so-called cash offer scheme was a promise to be fulfilled only after the new government takes over. Officials deployed police to manage the crowd and put up banners clarifying that no such cash offer existed at present.
"What began in early May with about 100 people arriving daily has now escalated to over 3,000 women per day, making crowd control and manpower management exceedingly difficult," said Madhesh, the building in charge.
Despite police presence and official announcements, more than 1,500 accounts have been opened daily since last week. The GPO's banners clearly state that the Postal Department will not deposit any amount into IPPB accounts. These accounts are meant for various payments and Direct Beneficiary Transfer (DBT) services.
The women cited various sources, including neighbors, WhatsApp groups, and local news, as their reasons for believing in the scheme. Some even brought friends and relatives from other districts and city outskirts to open accounts.
"I heard it's beneficial because they credit money into your account every month, which helps homemakers like me," said a resident of Lakkasandra.
Postmen have also been assisting in opening IPPB accounts after completing their delivery routes. As customers patiently wait in the scorching heat, they receive tokens and often return the next morning if they cannot complete the process by evening.
It remains to be seen whether their hopes would be rewarded only after the results of Lok Sabha elections are announced on June 4, 2024.
