Party's 10-point agenda will put Bengal on dev track: TMC

Kolkata: The manifesto 2021 unveiled by Trinamool Congress Chairperson Mamata Banerjee has covered all sections of society, laying special emphasis on the welfare of students, farmers and job creation for 5 lakh youths per year, said Partha Chatterjee, Secretary General of the party, on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference along with Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim, Shashi Panja and Derek O' Brien, Chatterjee said the students would be given education loan up to Rs 10 lakh by the banks with 4 per cent interest and the state government would become the guarantor. "Nowhere in the country has such a step ever been taken by any state government. The step would help the students to pursue their career without having to depend on their parents," he said.

He said the continuing projects like Kanyasree and Sabuj Sathi and free tabs to the students of class XII, who were studying in state-run schools, would help the students to carry on with their studies smoothly. Mukherjee said the 10-point agenda would put Bengal on the development track.

He said: "For the success of the schemes, budgetary allocation has been made. It is not that Trinamool will forget about the promises after coming to power."

The leader highlighted that the manifesto mentions a scheme 'Matri Bandana' under which affordable loans would be given to 10 lakh new self help groups. Affordable loans worth Rs 25,000 crore will be provided to the SHGs in the next five years.

"If voted to power, the TMC-led state government will fill up 1.1 lakh posts that are lying vacant in various government departments and police systems in the next 3 years," Chatterjee added. The manifesto further states that under the Krishak Bandhu scheme, Rs 10,000 would be provided annually to 68 lakh small and marginal farmers. "Moreover, 4 per cent of the state GDP will be spent on education and each block will have one model residential school. Steps will be taken to increase the number of seats to 62000 in teachers' training from 33, 095 seats now," he added.

Mukherjee said the all round development would attract more investment and the sea change in Bengal would take place in the next five years under Mamata Banerjee.