Data analysis helps Cong reach out to poor on Nyay

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has reached out to nearly 16 lakh “poorest of the poor” households across Karnataka through personalised letters explaining the minimum income guarantee scheme ‘Nyay’.

The letters were sent following an extensive exercise by the AICC’s Data Analytics Department to identify the poorest households in the country.

The AICC Data Analytics Department chairman Praveen Chakravarty told DH that his department categorised voters across 10.35 lakh polling booths on different parameters, such as who owns kuchha houses, mobile phones, two-wheelers, tractors and who are landless.

“These voters were mapped to the respective polling booths and the woman in the household was identified as the head,” he said.

Chakravarty said personalised letters written and signed by the Congress president were then sent to each of the 16 lakh households through a network of party workers across the state.

Personalised letters

A similar exercise has been carried out across the states and such personalised letters in local languages were being sent out to 12 million households.

“We were repeatedly asked how we will identify beneficiaries under Nyay. Well, we have done just that,” Chakravarty said.

Under the Nyay initiative announced by the Congress in its Lok Sabha election manifesto, those belonging to the poorest 20% in the country will be given Rs 6,000 a month.

Chakravarty said the personalised letters have demonstrated that the Congress cannot only identify potential beneficiaries but communicate with them directly. “It shows how Congress party is serious about this promise,” he said.