New Delhi: Stealing a march over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress on Tuesday released its poll manifesto for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Through its poll manifesto, the Congress has made an attempt to woo every section of society by promising 'something' for all.
In its manifesto, the Congress has promised to give Rs 72,000 each to five crore poor families under the 'Nyay' scheme, create employment opportunities, including filling up 22 lakh government vacancies, better education & health, re-examination of Rafael deal, amendment in the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA), changes in the Press Council of India Act and fixing a single moderate GST rate, passage of contentious Women Reservation Bill in its first sitting, etc.
For farmers, the Congress has promised to put them on the path from 'Karz Maafi' (loan waiver), to 'Karz Mukti' (freedom from loans) and bringing a separate budget for farmers.
The 55-page document titled 'Hum Nibhayenge' (We will deliver) focused on addressing the issues of joblessness, farm distress, the safety of women and boosting the rural economy, with stress on building a narrative on 'real issues' faced by people.
The manifesto was released by party president Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and senior leader P Chidambaram among others. Speaking on the occasion, the Congress president said that the party would allocate 6 per cent of GDP to education, strengthen government hospitals and give high-quality healthcare access to poor if voted to power.
The party also promised to remove the law on sedition from the statute if voted to power. The party promised to enact the Right to Healthcare Act and guarantee every citizen free diagnostics, out-patient care, free medicines and hospitalisation, through a network of public hospitals and enlisted private hospitals.
Congress pledged to make jobs its top priority for the youth of the country, saying it will ensure 34 lakh jobs in the public sector by filling all 4 lakh central government vacancies before March 2020, persuading the state governments to fill 20 lakh vacancies and creating an estimated 10 lakh new Seva Mitra positions in every gram panchayat and urban local bodies.
The party said it will also provide a fillip to the private sector by incentivising businesses for jobs creation and employing more women. On GST tax, Congress said that it will radically simplify the GST regime with a single moderate rate of tax, zero-rating of exports, and exemption for essential goods and services. See inside