Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala and party president Rahul Gandhi during a media briefing on Monday.

NEW DELHI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday announced that if his party comes to power at the Centre, it will provide Rs 72,000 per annum to the 20% poorest families under the minimum basic income guarantee scheme.

Addressing the media, the Congress president said that his party will deliver justice to the economically backward people by ensuring them a basic minimum income of Rs 12,000 per month.

"It is an extremely powerful, ground-breaking and well-thought through idea. We have consulted many economists on the scheme," he said.

"It will be world's largest minimum income scheme," the Congress president said.

Rahul said that the final assault on poverty has begun. "We will wipe out poverty from the country," he added.

The scheme will cover five crore families and as many as 25 crore people are expected to benefit from the scheme, Rahul said.

"People have suffered in the last five years and we are going to give justice to them," he added.

Rahul said that his party is committed towards the scheme and also added that it is fiscally possible to implement it. “We had successfully implemented MGNREGA. We can implement this scheme as well,” he said.

As per the scheme, the minimum income line has been set at Rs 12,000 per month, the Congress president clarified.

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In Video: Rahul Gandhi promises Rs 72,000/year minimum income support