Congress releases manifesto for Odisha elections

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Congress on Sunday released its manifesto for the upcoming polls making a slew of promises, including waiver of crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh per family and 33 per cent reservation for women in government jobs, parliament and assembly.

With a focus on farmers, youth, women, tribals and dalits, the 32-page document titled "Your Voice Your Choice" also promised to give Rs 72,000 each to five crore poor families under the 'Nyay' scheme as announced by the AICC.

With Odisha going for simultaneous assembly election and Lok Sabha polls, the state unit of the party released the separate manifesto which promised concrete steps to address issues such as unemployment, farm distress, safety and empowerment of women besides uplift of tribals and dalits. Releasing the manifesto in the presence of senior party leaders here, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik said, an assistance of Rs 6,000 per month under the NYAY scheme, would be transferred directly to the account of the woman of an eligible family.

Promising employment for all, the manifesto said one person in every family will have a job, either in the public or private sector, while the jobless will be entitled to an unemployment allowance of Rs 3,000 per month. All contractual workers in the public sector will be regularised while there shall be no contractual employment in teaching, healthcare and social security services, the manifesto said. It also promised land to the landless and home to homeless. A five-year plan will be unveiled to provide homestead land to every landless family in a village and shelter for every urban homeless family.